The controversy over the Epstein files has drawn renewed public attention, particularly as questions arise about President Donald Trump’s response to their release. Using data from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Survey, this Spotlight Analysis examines Americans’ perceptions of the controversy over the release of the Epstein files as a critical issue, as well as their views of President Trump’s handling of the controversy. Although most Americans do not view the issue as critical, stark differences emerge between those who support Trump and those who do not, even within groups that usually align with him on many issues.
The Controversy Over the Release of the Epstein Files as a Critical Issue
When asked how personally important the controversy over the release of the Epstein files is, only 19% of Americans say it is a critical issue, one-third say it is one among many critical issues (34%), and 45% say it is not that important of an issue. Democrats are the most likely to view the controversy as critical (28%), followed by independents (20%), compared with only 9% of Republicans.
Among religious groups, concern is highest among Hispanic Catholics (30%), Black Protestants (27%), and the religiously unaffiliated (23%), with much lower concern among white Christian groups, including roughly one in ten white evangelical Protestants (9%), white mainline Protestants (13%), and white Catholics (14%). Christian nationalism Rejecters (28%) are more likely than Skeptics (17%), Sympathizers (15%), and Adherents (17%) to say the controversy over the release of the Epstein files is critical.
A major tenet of the QAnon conspiracy is that the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation, so it is not surprising that QAnon believers (27%) are roughly 10 points more likely to say the Epstein issue is critical compared with QAnon doubters (18%) and QAnon rejecters (17%).
Approval of Trump’s Handling of the Controversy Over the Epstein Files
Nationally, only 28% of Americans approve of how Donald Trump is handling the controversy over the Epstein files, but this overall number masks striking partisan and religious divides. While most Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the controversy (60%), compared with 20% of independents and just 6% of Democrats, Republicans show deep divisions between those who hold favorable views of Trump (69%) and those who hold unfavorable views (10%).
Perceptions of the importance of the Epstein files also shape Trump’s approval. Among Americans who believe the files are a critical issue, only 11% approve of Trump’s handling of the controversy. Among Americans who view the release of the Epstein files as one critical issue among many, 21% approve of how Trump is handling the controversy. By contrast, among those who say the files are not a critical issue, approval goes up to 42%.
White evangelical Protestants (51%) are the only religious group whose majority supports Trump’s handling of the controversy over the Epstein files. Nearly four in ten white mainline/ non-evangelical Protestants (39%) and white Catholics (38%) also approve. Far fewer Christians of color, as well as non-Christians, approve of the job Trump is doing handling the files.
However, sharp divisions emerge among white Christian groups. White evangelical Protestants who hold favorable views of Trump are eight times more likely than those with unfavorable views to approve of his handling of the Epstein files (67% vs. 8%). A similar pattern appears among white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants (67% vs. 3%) and white Catholics (68% vs. 5%), highlighting how this controversy is one area where his supporters are far from united.
Most Christian nationalism Adherents (56%) approve of Trump’s handling of the controversy, followed by Sympathizers (46%), Skeptics (26%), and just 7% of Rejecters.
Only 16% of QAnon rejecters approve of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files, but this share more than doubles among QAnon doubters (32%) and rises even higher among QAnon believers (39%). On the one hand, given the central role that the Epstein controversy plays among QAnon followers, it might be surprising that QAnon believers are the most supportive of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files. On the other hand, more than eight in ten QAnon believers voted for Donald Trump in 2024; many QAnon believers also view Trump as a mythological figure, and may be more likely to interpret Trump’s actions in such a way that comports with those views.
