Analysis by Kristen Welker
The Justice Department’s announcement today that it was releasing more than 3 million pages of records related to Jeffrey Epstein raises a key question for the Trump administration: Will it be enough to quell criticism from lawmakers, survivors and some of the president’s own supporters?
President Donald Trump‘s handling of the Epstein investigation has been widely unpopular, polls show, in part because a notable share of Trump’s supporters has disapproved of how the administration has navigated this issue.
A New York Times/Siena poll conducted Jan. 12-17 found 66% of registered voters disapproved of how the president has handled the Epstein files, including 28% who said they voted for Trump in 2024. The poll found 22% approved of how the president has handled the issue, while 12% said they did not know or refused to answer the question. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
Our NBC News Decision Desk poll powered by SurveyMonkey, conducted Nov. 20-Dec. 8, found 71% of Americans disapproved of how Trump has handled the Epstein files, including 27% of self-described supporters of the “Make America Great Again” movement. Just 29% of Americans in the survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points, approved of the president’s handling of the files.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted that those looking for more information may not be satisfied by the new trove of documents, which he said included more than 180,000 images and more than 2,000 videos. The documents were released more than a month after congressionally imposed deadline to release the records. Congress passed a measure in November requiring that the files be released to the public, with support from all but one Republican.
“I can assure that we complied with the statute, we complied with the act, and there is no — we did not protect President Trump. We didn’t protect or not protect anybody,” Blanche said. “I mean, I think … that there’s a hunger or a thirst for information that I do not think will be satisfied by the review of these documents. And there’s, it’s not, there’s nothing I can do about that.”
NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell pressed Blanche on whether the White House was notified about the document release, and he said it was aware that he would be holding a press conference today.
“Look, we, my team, has certain communications with the White House,” Blanche said. “Let me just be clear. They had nothing to do with this review. They had no oversight over this review. They did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what to not redact.”
At least one Republican is warning his party that the Epstein files could be an issue in this year’s midterm elections. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is not running for re-election, told NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin that the Epstein files release was “good news” but that it’s “a little late.”
“There’s probably complexities I don’t appreciate, but they need to get it done,” Tillis said. “If anybody thinks it’s going to be forgotten in November, they’re dead wrong. So we need to be very transparent and get it out there.”
We’ll delve into the latest on the Epstein files and more on “Meet the Press” this Sunday with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
Democratic fault lines emerge over California’s billionaire tax proposal
By Adam Edelman
A proposal to raise taxes on the wealthiest Californians has sharply divided Democrats in the biggest blue state in the country — and is poised to set up a broader debate for the party heading into the next presidential contest.
Clear battle lines have formed in recent weeks among the sprawling field of Democratic candidates in California’s open governor’s race this year, as well as among potential 2028 White House contenders in the state, over a “billionaire tax” that could appear before voters in the fall.
On one side, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, widely seen as a presidential hopeful, has lined up in opposition to the proposed ballot measure. So, too, have a handful of Democrats who are trying to succeed him as governor, including former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. They’ve argued the initiative would drive wealthy investors and tech leaders from the state.
On the other, Rep. Ro Khanna, who has his eye on a future White House bid, and billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer have backed the effort, arguing that it would help close income inequality gaps. The initiative, if it qualifies for the ballot and is approved by voters, would implement a one-time 5% tax on the assets of Californians whose net worth exceeds $1.1 billion. It would require the state to spend the subsequent revenue almost entirely on health care.
Democrats across the ideological spectrum have broadly attempted to center their economic message around affordability, particularly following the party’s election victories around the country last November.
But the clash in California has shown that filling out the details of that platform in a way that appeases both progressives and centrists remains easier said than done.
“I do think this whole debate is a huge quagmire for the Democratic Party,” both in California and nationally, said Ted Lempert, a former Democratic assemblyman in California who teaches political science at the University of California, Berkeley. “Clearly, it’s about fairness and about ‘the rich need to pay their fair share.’ But the way this one is proposed — it does alienate a lot of folks who do support the Democratic Party and fund the Democratic Party, and you see so many Democrats uneasy with this.”
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and
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