Why Did Trump Oppose Epstein File Release?

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00:00We talk about the Epstein files. They don't seem to be going away. It seems to be the story that

00:06keeps on giving. But Trump has said we've nothing to hide. He's now made another U-turn and said

00:14let's release these Epstein files. But why did he fight for the files to not be released? It's all

00:22a little bit confusing. And he fought for many years, basically, for those files, as you said,

00:27not to be released. It is, as you said, it's 180 degrees turn. It's a reversal onto his previous

00:34position. And I think the answer depends on whether his latest position or this reversal

00:40is real or not. Is it real or is it symbolic? Is it an actual move towards transparency or is it a

00:49tactical move? Now, Republican lawmakers, especially those who have been pushing for the release of the

00:55Epstein files, seem to think or suspect that Trump's change of stance may have been just a

01:01smokescreen rather than a genuine commitment to transparency. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene,

01:07his longtime loyalist, turned against him, basically, on the Epstein files. She said that she was still

01:15baffled by his previous opposition to their release. Yet she was also wondering whether this,

01:22his latest position signals weakness or it is just a strategic calculation. Now, there could be many

01:30reasons behind it. It could be damage control because apparently the Epstein files are the only weak

01:35point that are capable of fracturing Trump's MAGA base and make him lose his loyalists like Marjorie

01:43Taylor Greene. Also, recent polls have shown that over 63 percent of Americans are not happy with the way

01:50his administration has actually handled the Epstein files. Or it could be simply that it is the only

01:57move available to him at this stage, especially with the vote on their release looming with so many

02:03Republicans preparing to vote for their release. And maybe he was also encouraged by the information

02:11that was leaked by the recent Epstein emails that don't really show any wrongdoing on the part of Trump.

02:20so