Now I Get It

Q: Massie says he's concerned that the Epstein probe you're calling for could be a smokescreen to block the release of more files. Is that the case?

TRUMP: I don't want to talk about it because fake news like you -- you're a terrible reporter -- they just keep bringing that up… pic.twitter.com/8oM4tmb9IC

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 17, 2025

TRUMP: I don't want to talk about it because fake news like you -- you're a terrible reporter -- they just keep bringing that up to deflect from the tremendous success of the Trump administration

Which is really the message Trump is trying to peddle.

Rep. Keith Self on Newsmax: "If you saw Fox News just recently, groceries, gas, inflation in general is down under President Trump. Now, the mainstream media won't tell you that. But those are the actual numbers. We just have to get the American people understanding." pic.twitter.com/Gh8hONaqXu

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 17, 2025

Anyone else here old enough to remember that was pretty much the Biden Administration message on the economy? Except Biden did save the economy; he didn’t run it into the ground in just 8 months.

Of course, Trump is riding on Pam Bondi’s shoulders like she was his servant. So there’s nothing to keep him from simply directing her to release the files. Even Troy Nehls gets that:

Troy Nehls now opposes Trump and will defy his wishes by voting against releasing the files. https://t.co/AUc2KNTnoq

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 17, 2025

But Trump raged at a reporter because Trump is tired of the subject, and he can’t make it go away. This isn’t 4-dimensional chess or feral cunning. Trump is in a round room trying to find the corner, and Epstein is the demon with a cattle prod who won’t let Trump rest. You hate to see it because Trump is, after all, a human being. And he’s the President of the United States. Almost 250 years from the Revolutionary War, and this is the best we can do. 

Heaven help us all.