Epstein Saga May Test Trump’s Polling

Carroll Doherty: “Compared with past presidents, Trump’s job approval ratings have, for the most part, moved within a narrow range. The reason is simple: He has always had a low ceiling, constrained by the single-digit approval he gets from Democrats and independents who lean Democratic. But he also has a high floor, thanks to the steady, 80 percent-plus support he invariably receives from the GOP base.”

“That’s what makes the firestorm surrounding the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files such a potentially pivotal moment for the president. Coming on the heels of the U.S. bombing of Iran (not to mention passage of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, faulted by some conservatives for its deficit-busting spending), the Epstein affair is about to reveal something important about the resilience of Trump’s bond with the GOP base. The suspicion Epstein is generating among Republicans is raising questions about whether Trump’s floor may finally crack — and, one way or another, become the ‘it’ moment his opponents have eagerly awaited for so long.”