By Andy Sullivan and Jason Lange
WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Americans are deeply skeptical of President Donald Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, although he is strengthening support among his core Republican followers who have been focusing on the case, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.
The poll, which was completed on Monday, found that most Americans believe the Trump administration is hiding information about the late sex offender, including his death in 2019 and his ties to the rich and powerful, and do not believe Trump’s claim that he was unaware of Epstein’s alleged trafficking of teenage girls when the two were friends for decades. of years ago.
Only 23% of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling the ongoing scandal, the poll found, while 52% disapprove.
However, the poll found that he appears to be easing the concerns of his supporters: 53% of Republicans said they approved of the way he was handling the issue, up from 44% last month. That’s still well below the 85% approval rating Trump enjoys overall among Republicans.
This can be crucial. Trump fueled conspiracy theories about Epstein before he returned to the White House this year, and prominent supporters have accused his administration of a cover-up.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress defied Trump last month and passed a law requiring the Justice Department to release documents by Dec. 19 from its long-running investigation into Epstein.
The online survey of 4,434 US adults, conducted from December 3 to December 8, found continued suspicion about the role of the US government.
About 62% of those surveyed, including 56% of Republicans, said they believe the government is hiding information about Epstein’s death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan prison in 2019 as he faced federal sex-trafficking charges.
An even higher proportion – 70% – said they thought the government was hiding information about people who may have participated in the late financier’s alleged sex trafficking of teenage girls, including 62% of Republicans.
And only 18% said they thought it was likely that Trump did not know about Epstein’s alleged crimes before they became public. Among Republicans, that figure was 34%.
Trump has said he was unaware of Epstein’s activities, and says he ended their friendship before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Jason Lange; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)