Epstein Scandal Leaves Some Young Trump Voters Feeling Betrayed

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/style/epstein-files-young-conservatives.html

Drawn to President Trump for his pledge to take down the political elite, some of his young constituents say he has failed them.

“Not to be trusted.” A “betrayal.”

This is how some young people on the right have characterized President Trump and his administration’s response to the Justice Department’s latest release of Jeffrey Epstein files. For them, the Epstein story is something of a full-circle moment in their political lives — a reason they cast their ballots for Mr. Trump in 2024 that has calcified into anger and disillusionment.

. . .

[T]hey say their faith in Mr. Trump has diminished in recent weeks as they have observed the administration’s response to the Epstein scandal. For his part, Mr. Schwemmer thinks the president has demonstrated a “lack of seriousness” and a pattern of “obfuscation” as communications related to Mr. Epstein have revealed a globe-spanning web of ties to powerful figures in politics, finance, professional sports and the arts. Included in the recently disclosed files are the names of six current administration officials, Mr. Trump’s among them.

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252 points · 35 comments · view on lemmy.world

35 Comments

Soulphite@reddthat.com · 96 pts · 201d (2 replies)

CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 201d

Whole lotta those people that voted in 2016 were not suckers at all. They knew exactly what they were voting for. The only regret those fuckers have is that he wasn't able to damage America even more in his first term.

themaninblack@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 200d
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shittydwarf@sh.itjust.works · 87 pts · 201d

FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world · 58 pts · 201d (2 replies)

They knew exactly what they were voting for.

They voted for a hateful, stupid, vicious, narcissistic, bigoted thug

I don't believe for a second that they genuinely have any regrets, and I believe that they'd vote for him again if they can (assuming that 'Murica ever has another election...)

aramis87@fedia.io · 33 pts · 201d (1 reply)

You know how, if you fall for one scam, they trade/sell your info to other scammers because they know you're likely to fall for something else as well? That's how I feel about these people: they may (eventually) leave the trump train, but they'll be ripe pickings for someone else.

FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 201d

They'll vote for the next republican, and the one after that, because they're in a cult, and those republicans promises to hurt the people that the cult fear and hate

It's disgusting, but it's in their nature

GreenBeard@lemmy.ca · 32 pts · 201d

You don't say. Who could have possibly seen this coming. 😐

Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 201d (1 reply)

dissentiate@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 201d
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mattyroses@lemmy.today · 15 pts · 201d

It was one thing to be stupid enough to believe Trump was actually going to go against "the swamp" in 2016.

But in 2024? HE HAD ALREADY BEEN PRESIDENT YOU FUCKING IDIOTS.

CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 201d

Just why in the fuck would you ever have faith in this grifting pedophile in the first place? JFC.

Archangel1313@lemmy.ca · 13 pts · 201d

Don't worry. They'll still follow him.

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 201d

The feelings of anyone who voted for Trump don't matter to me unless they do something concrete to atone for their fascist enablement. For example, self-immolation.

CouncilOfFriends@slrpnk.net · 12 pts · 201d

I was not aware that people who were born yesterday are allowed to vote.

homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 201d

Wait wait hangon - young conservatives are complete fucking morons?

Huh. Who knew?

man_wtfhappenedtoyou@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 201d (1 reply)

I still to this day can't believe anyone has ever trusted this fucking guy for anything. He's not even a good or believable con man. It's really hard to share a world with all these dumbass marks.

DaMummy@hilariouschaos.com · 2 pts · 201d

You try bankrupting a casino. That takes skill.

sepi@piefed.social · 8 pts · 201d (1 reply)

Deport all trump voters to CECOT

GuyFawkesV@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 201d

I assume the one downvote is one dumb motherfucker who thinks MAGAts can still be saved.

Formfiller@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 201d

Wow yeah surprisingly the child rapist con man turned out to be a bad guy.

daannii@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 201d

WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 201d (1 reply)

I feel like the term “some feel betrayed”is a perfect description of his presidency. Some will feel that he has betrayed and lied to them while some will still Ride Or Die. The only issue I see is that as the midterms get closer will these people who have allegedly turn their back on him will they vote for him still or not? There is an old saying about democrat and republican voters, democrats fall in love, republicans fall in line.

VitoRobles@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 200d

Pretty much.

The amount of Hispanics who see Democrats not helping them directly and then vote Republican. Then they watch their family members get rounded up, hear their Republican senators lie to them, and then vote Republican again.

NutWrench@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 201d

Trump has been f*cking over EVERYONE for decades. If you just believed him, you're a fool. If you trusted a news source that told you to believe him, you're still a fool.

minorkeys@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 201d

I wish they felt concerned they chose wrong.

WhatSaid@lem.ugh.im · 5 pts · 200d (1 reply)

The new dating app: Leopards meet Faces 😻

VitoRobles@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 200d

I like it! Every one of their profiles will be a punchable douchebag.

kurmudgeon@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 201d

Well, they're either betrayed or they support pedophelia. Trump's backed them into a very predictable corner.

Scorned_Sparrow@piefed.social · 5 pts · 200d
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Avicenna@programming.dev · 5 pts · 201d

foggy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d (1 reply)

Charlamane walking Andrew Shulz through the fact that he got conned by a conman is pretty satisfying.

VitoRobles@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 200d

Fucking can't stand these "edgy" comedians. These Temu Anthony Jeselniks. They think edgy means going against the norm, so if everyone hates something, they love it. And they make it their whole identity.

"Edgy" fucks simply see a woman as a lead in a action movie, and dismiss the movie. They see people hate Trump, and they go, "I love Trump!"

TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d

The only sociopath in history to constantly brag on the world stage about being a piece of shit and somehow that escaped them

Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 201d

Just some of them. The rest only feel a vague uneasiness when they pull out of their sister aunt.

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 181d

So MAGA women are pissed that he won't release the Epstein Files, American Firsters are pissed that he's started WW3, and young MAGAs are pissed that he lied about EVERYTHING.

It's a good thing he still has the Pedophile Coalition locked up. Turns out there were a lot more of them than we suspected.

OldQWERTYbastard@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 201d

Oh, to be young and dumb again!

fodor@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 201d

The NYTimes is so bad. Strong evidence that Trump has committed sex crimes, and quite possibly to children, with some assault and battery (and maybe dead bodies) floating around, and it's news that young voters are "disillusioned"? I would hope the reaction would be slightly stronger than mere disillusionment.

But that's the Times. Bury the lede, underplay the crimes, repeat. Sigh.