The MAGA Memory Hole: How Trump Betrayed the Conspiracy He Built
From "Epstein didn't kill himself" to "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax"—how Trump weaponized a conspiracy theory, then turned on his own supporters when it became inconvenient
"Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax."
With those words this week, Donald Trump didn't just abandon a conspiracy theory—he betrayed the very people who believed him when he promoted it. The same supporters who chanted "Epstein didn't kill himself" at his rallies are now being called "weaklings" whose support he "doesn't want anymore."
This isn't just another case of political flip-flopping. It's a masterclass in narrative laundering: exploit a conspiracy to gain power, then discard it—and the people who believed it—once it threatens your grip on that power.
The Rise: From Social Companion to Political Weapon
The transformation began in elite circles. In 1992, NBC footage captured Trump and Jeffrey Epstein laughing together at a Mar-a-Lago party. A decade later, Trump told New York Magazine: "I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy... He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."
But by 2016, as Epstein's crimes became public knowledge, Trump's tone shifted. He claimed he "wasn't a fan," denied closeness, and began redirecting blame toward Bill Clinton. After Epstein's 2019 arrest, Trump insisted at the White House: "I had a falling out with him a long time ago."
Then came the conspiracy gold rush.
The Weaponization: Building the "Deep State" Narrative
When Epstein died in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, "Epstein didn't kill himself" exploded across conservative social media. Trump didn't just allow this—he amplified it. He retweeted suggestions of Clinton involvement, teased revelations on the campaign trail, and promised to "declassify the Epstein files."
QAnon influencers claimed "the storm" was coming. Conservative media elevated speculation about Epstein's mysterious "client list." The narrative was irresistible: Epstein wasn't just a sex trafficker—he was the tip of the Deep State iceberg, and Trump alone knew the truth.
For years, this served Trump perfectly. The Epstein conspiracy:
Cast doubt on established institutions
Implicated political enemies
Positioned Trump as the outsider with secret knowledge
Energized his base with promises of coming revelations
The conspiracy became a political weapon—until it turned inward.
The Betrayal: "I Don't Want Their Support Anymore"
Everything changed in July 2025. Trump's own Department of Justice and FBI released a two-page memo that shattered the conspiracy: no "client list" existed, and Epstein died by suicide. The very institutions Trump controlled were contradicting the narrative he'd spent years building.
The MAGA base erupted. Far-right influencers demanded Attorney General Pam Bondi's resignation. Dan Bongino, Kash Patel, and Michael Flynn called for full disclosure. The conspiracy that once united the movement was now tearing it apart.
Trump's response was swift and brutal. He called his former supporters "weaklings" whose support he didn't want. He labeled the entire Epstein saga a "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax" created by Democrats.
At a White House event, he snapped at reporters: "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? That is unbelievable."
The Memory Hole: Erasing Inconvenient Truths
This is how authoritarian populism handles internal threats: not by addressing them, but by erasing them. The movement builds itself on stories like Epstein's—until those stories become liabilities.
Trump didn't just abandon the conspiracy theory. He performed a complete narrative inversion:
2019-2024: "Epstein didn't kill himself" (implied Democratic cover-up)
2025: "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax" (Democratic conspiracy against Trump)
The same supporters who once rallied to his coded winks about hidden truths are now branded as traitors falling for Democratic "bullshit."
The Pattern: Pseudo-Transparency as Political Theater
Even Trump's promises of transparency follow a familiar script. When he claimed to support document releases "pending court approval," he knew federal grand jury materials are sealed by law and courts cannot release them. This created a perfect rhetorical trap:
If courts deny release: Trump claims cover-up
If materials are released but redacted: He calls them fake
The result? Trump appears cooperative while ensuring the secrecy he ultimately relies on remains intact.
His recent demand to unseal grand jury records follows the same playbook—legal analysts note the releases will be slow, heavily redacted, and unlikely to reveal anything significant. It's optics masquerading as transparency.
The Larger Truth: How Conspiracies Get Laundered
The Epstein case reveals something deeper about modern political manipulation. Conspiracy theories aren't just believed—they're manufactured, deployed, and discarded based on political utility.
Here's the cycle:
Create or amplify a conspiracy that serves your interests
Weaponize it against enemies while building supporter loyalty
Control the narrative through selective transparency promises
Abandon it when it becomes politically inconvenient
Attack former believers to distance yourself from the consequences
The MAGA base didn't just get gaslit about Epstein. They got a masterclass in how populist movements dispose of supporters once they're no longer useful.
The Real Hoax
Trump was right about one thing: there is a Jeffrey Epstein hoax. But it's not the one created by Democrats.
The real hoax was convincing millions of supporters that he cared about truth and transparency when he only cared about power. The real hoax was building a movement on promises of exposing corruption while engaging in the same manipulative tactics.
The real hoax was making people believe that when he said "I have all the answers," he meant something other than "I have all the power."
The conspiracy is dead. Long live the next one.
Avi Penhollow is a regular contributor to The Proximity Portal. Follow for more analysis of authoritarian political tactics and narrative manipulation.
Sources:
ABC7 New York. "What Trump Has Said About Epstein Over the Years." 2025.
Axios. "Trump disavows 'PAST supporters' who believed 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.'" July 16, 2025.
Forbes. "Here's the Timeline of MAGA's Epstein Files Meltdown." July 16, 2025.
NPR. "Trump tells supporters not to 'waste time' on Epstein files." July 14, 2025.
Rolling Stone. "The DOJ's Epstein Memo Is Tearing the Trump Administration Apart." July 2025.
CNN. "Trump lashes out at 'weaklings' who believe Epstein 'bullsh*t.'" July 16, 2025.