Trump reverses position on Epstein files, urges Republicans to vote for release after months of opposition

Trump posted on Truth Social on Nov. 17, 2025, urging Republicans to vote for releasing the Epstein files, saying 'House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it's time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.' This reversed his months-long opposition to the discharge petition and his administration's refusal to release the files voluntarily. Trump added that the Justice Department had already turned over 'tens of thousands of pages' to the public and was examining 'various Democrat operatives' like Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and Reid Hoffman.

The reversal came after Trump spent months pressuring Republicans not to sign the discharge petition. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy AG Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel met with Rep. Lauren Boebert on Nov. 13 to pressure her to remove her signature. Trump called Rep. Nancy Mace that same morning. Trump also called Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a 'traitor' on Nov. 16 and revoked his endorsement after she signed the petition. Despite all this pressure, the petition reached 218 signatures.

Rep. Thomas Massie told ABC News on Nov. 17 that Trump opposed release 'because for four months, he thought the best thing for him was to keep the file secret, and somebody convinced him that the best thing for him was to release the files.' Massie predicted his bill would pass with a veto-proof majority and told Republicans that voting against it meant 'protecting pedophiles.' He warned that Trump wouldn't be president in 2030 and 'you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don't vote to release these files.'

Two key Sunday morning TV appearances on Nov. 17 showed Trump losing control of the narrative. Massie appeared on ABC's 'This Week' taking a warning shot against Trump's legacy, while Speaker Johnson appeared on Fox News Sunday calling the discharge petition 'totally moot' and a 'political exercise.' Massie predicted 100 or more House Republicans would vote for the bill even though only four signed the discharge petition. This public break with Trump on national TV demonstrated how isolated Trump had become.

Hours before Trump's reversal, House Democrats released new Epstein emails on Nov. 17 showing the financier discussing Trump's knowledge of his abuse. The emails stated Trump 'spent hours at my house' with victim 🏛️Virginia Giuffre in 2011 and 'of course he knew about the girls' in 2019. The timing suggested Democrats were building momentum before the vote. Trump called Giuffre a woman who 'met Epstein in the summer of 2000, just before she turned 17, while working at the spa at Mar-a-Lago' but said she 'had not accused the president of any wrongdoing.'

Trump's reversal positioned him as supporting transparency after months of appearing to hide something. On Nov. 18, he told reporters in the Oval Office 'I'm all for it' when asked if he would sign the bill. He added 'Let the Senate look at it. Let anybody look at it. But don't talk about it too much, because, honestly, I don't want it to take away from us. It's really a Democrat problem.' This framing attempted to shift blame to Democrats while claiming credit for transparency.

Speaker Johnson said after Trump's reversal that he'd spoken to Trump 'quite a bit' on the topic but declined to comment on their substance. Johnson said Trump 'never had anything to hide' and both shared concerns about protecting victims' identities. Johnson indicated he might vote for the bill if the Senate made changes to better protect victims and whistleblowers. Supporters of the bill said it already effectively protects victims, who have voiced support for the measure.

Senate GOP leaders hadn't said how they would handle the bill before Trump's reversal. Senate Majority Leader John Thune was 'still mulling whether to schedule a vote,' according to sources. With Trump's reversal, the path in the Senate became clearer, though it would still need 60 votes to overcome a potential filibuster. Senate Minority Leader CSChuck Schumer said Trump 'could end all the problems instead of just telling the House to vote for it' by releasing the files himself immediately.