Is Trump becoming trapped in a web of his own Maga lies? The president broke a promise to release more details about the convicted sex offender – and his base is wondering why Last Saturday, Donald Trump asked the justice department to release all grand jury testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein case. In a post on Truth Social, the president said that even if the court gave its "full and unwavering support" that "nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request". But it was the "Make America Great Again" (Maga) base that has been in revolt as never before. The trigger was Trump’s broken promise to release details about Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender, who was facing federal charges of sex-trafficking minors when he died in jail in 2019. Spurred by the president and his allies, Trump’s movement has long latched on to the Epstein scandal, claiming the existence of a secret client list and that he was murdered in his cell as part of a cover-up. But earlier this month the justice department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced there was no evidence that Epstein kept such a list or was blackmailing powerful figures. The memo deepened supporters’ obsession. A movement defined by the view that elites rig the system against them felt cheated. Trump made efforts to douse the flames with ever-shifting explanations, excuses and distractions but merely poured fuel on the fire. Epstein was first charged with sex offences in 2006 after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police that he had molested their daughter at his Florida home. He avoided federal charges due to a controversial plea deal that saw him jailed for just under 13 months. In 2019 he was arrested again in New York and charged with trafficking dozens of teenage girls and engaging in sex acts with them in exchange for money. A separate case against Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, jailed in 2022 for helping him abuse girls, detailed Epstein’s connections with high-profile figures such as Britain’s Prince Andrew and the former US president Bill Clinton. Both denied any wrongdoing. In 2019 – during Trump’s first term as president – Epstein was found dead in his prison cell after hanging himself, according to the authorities. Sceptics point to suspicious circumstances such as the security cameras around his cell apparently malfunctioning on the night he died, and other irregularities. They also speculate that the government is concealing details about the Epstein case to protect wealthy and influential clients, including Trump, a longtime associate. Last Thursday the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Trump sent a letter featuring a sketch of a naked woman to Epstein in 2003. The president denied writing the letter or drawing the figure, and sued Rupert Murdoch and two WSJ newspaper reporters. When he was running for president, Trump said he would release files related to the case. But a bundle put out in February contained little new information. Then in June the spotlight turned back on the president when Elon Musk claimed – in a now-deleted X post – that Trump is "in the Epstein files". Just a month later, a memo from the justice department and FBI said the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation. A video published to dispel theories Epstein was murdered showed a section of the prison on the night he died but appeared to be missing a minute of footage. The Maga faithful erupted in fury. Baffled, flailing and unusually out of step, Trump used Truth Social to call supporters off the Epstein trail amid reports of infighting between the attorney general, Pam Bondi, and the FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino, over the issue. Yet while Trump has defeated many political foes, he has never had to take on his own base. The president lashed out at his own supporters, calling them "weaklings" for falling for what he called a "radical left" hoax. "I don’t want their support anymore!" he wrote. Some responded by burning their Maga caps in protest. Charlie Sykes, author of How the Right Lost Its Mind, said: "He’s being eaten by the very sort of conspiracy theory that propelled him into office in the first place. Donald Trump is a product of as well as a purveyor of conspiracy theories. He has marinated in conspiracy theories and used them to put him into the presidency so you do have what appears to be a giant irony that this particular conspiracy theory is the one that is haunting him."