Key points of recent revelations (January 2026):
Direct accusations: Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) include testimonies from victims who allege they were forced into encounters with Trump decades ago. The president has called these leads gathered by the FBI "fake and sensationalist."
Logistical links: Records confirm that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane at least eight times in the 1990s, sometimes accompanied by Ghislaine Maxwell.
Legislative pressure: In November 2025, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, compelling the Trump administration to declassify millions of pages, which was seen as a political defeat after its initial attempts to block the measure.
Impact on his base: There is growing scrutiny within the MAGA movement, where some supporters demand full transparency, while others see the releases as a Democratic attempt at defamation ahead of key election cycles.
The concern seems to stem primarily from the potential political and reputational impact. The connection to Epstein, a convicted sex offender, could be damaging, especially in the context of future elections. The documents could contain details that, even if they don't directly implicate Trump in illegal activities, could be used by his political opponents to discredit him or question his judgment and morality. The loss of control over information and the narrative surrounding the case, with the mass release of documents, means there is more material available for public and media scrutiny, increasing the possibility of uncomfortable or damaging revelations for his public and political image. In short, the fear doesn't seem to be so much about the existence of the files themselves, but about the political and reputational consequences that their now more accessible contents could generate.