He—the president, their leader, the martyr who had endured scandals and prosecution and an assassin’s bullet on their behalf—had repeatedly told them it was time to move on, and that alone should suffice. Why, he groused, would the White House add fuel to the fire, would it play into the media’s narrative?

President Trump said the outrage among his supporters over the Epstein case was just the latest “scam” cooked up by Democrats.

Amid GOP conflict over how to handle the release of information related to Jeffrey Epstein, Trump is working to shift the spotlight.