Jeffrey Epstein Row: 52% Americans Disapprove Of Trump's Handling Of Scandal, Says Reuters/Ipsos Poll

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Americans remain largely doubtful of President Donald Trump's management of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, although he is gaining some backing from his core Republican base, who have been closely following the matter.

The poll revealed that just 23% of Americans approve of how Trump is managing the scandal, while 52% disapprove. However, the it also indicated that he seems to be reassuring some of his supporters: 53% of Republicans now approve of his handling of the matter, up from 44% last month. This figure remains significantly lower than the 85% approval rating he generally maintains among Republicans.

The poll, conducted on Monday, shows that most Americans believe Trump's administration is concealing information about Epstein, comprising details about his 2019 death and connections to wealthy and influential figures. Most also doubt Trump's claim that he was unaware of Epstein's alleged trafficking of teenage girls during their friendship decades ago.

Before returning to the White House this year, Trump fueled conspiracy theories about Epstein, while some of his prominent supporters claimed that his administration had attempted a cover-up, the report noted.

Also Read | Bill Clinton's team dismisses Trump's Epstein probe push as 'noise'

Last month, despite opposition from Trump, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress passed a law mandating that the Justice Department release documents from its long-running Epstein investigation by December 19.

What did the online poll say?

An online poll of 4,434 US adults, held from December 3 to 8, revealed that many still harbour doubts about the US government's involvement.

About 62% of survey respondents, including 56% of Republicans, believe the government is withholding information about Epstein's death, which was ruled a suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while he faced federal sex trafficking charges.

Also Read | US judge clears release of grand jury materials in Ghislaine Maxwell case

An even larger share, 70%, think the government is concealing details about individuals who may have been involved in the late financier's alleged trafficking of teenage girls, including 62% of Republicans.

Only 18% of respondents felt it was likely that Trump was unaware of Epstein's alleged crimes before they became public, with 34% of Republicans expressing this view.

Meanwhile, Trump asserted that he did not know about Epstein's activities and claims he ended their friendship before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

A federal judge in New York allowed the US Justice Department's request to make public more grand jury materials in the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to a court filing on Wednesday.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Key Takeaways

• The poll revealed that just 23% of Americans approve of how Trump is managing the scandal, while 52% disapprove.
• It also indicated that he seems to be reassuring some of his supporters: 53% of Republicans now approve of his handling of the matter, up from 44% last month.

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