MAGA Turns Its Full Rage on Dan Bongino After Epstein Memo
Donald Trump’s base is taking out its ire on the FBI deputy director after the administration’s conclusion on Jeffrey Epstein.

The MAGA base is still irate at the Trump administration’s decision to essentially drop the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Trump made a dubiously timed Truth Social post on Monday praising FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino for “locking up criminals, and cleaning up America’s streets.” The praise came after a day of excoriation from the deep MAGA base, as they called for the heads of Patel, Bongino, and Attorney General Pam Bondi. And they have a point—all three of the senior Trump officials (and even Vice President JD Vance) either outright pushed or fanned the flames of the idea that Epstein didn’t kill himself.
When Bongino replied to Trump’s praise with a nonchalant “We are doubling down. No letting up,” the supporters who once felt represented by Bongino came for him. Nearly every reply to the post was a reference to Epstein and Bongino’s broken promise.
“Sorry sir, today is not a good day to try and inspire confidence. How did we go from ‘the client list is on my desk’ to there is no list and he killed himself?” said one dismayed loyalist. “How is [Ghislaine] Maxwell in prison for trafficking to no one?”
“Dan we need answers on the Epstein stuff bro, can’t let Bondi off the hook for lying to everybody,” the Hodge Twins posted.
“The only thing we see you doubling down on is covering up the Epstein stuff. He trafficked kids to someone, and I don’t buy for a second that the FBI doesn’t know a single one of his clients,” an account with “America First Christian” in its bio wrote. “You should resign in disgrace.”
Frankly, it is weird. Unearthing the Epstein case and exposing Democrats like the Clintons and Obamas has been a longtime talking point of MAGA’s QAnon wing that reached the campaign’s mainstream. This current moment highlights the “real MAGA” versus “traditional neocon” split that has been a constant point of friction within Trump’s administrations. And it is surfacing once again as people like Patel and Bongino, who are of that “real MAGA” ilk, make decisions that so many of their supporters feel are aligned with the “deep state,” which must certainly feel like a dagger to the heart to them.
“Sorry Dan. Practically been a zealot behind you forever. After yesterday, I no longer trust you or anyone else there. You people are no better than the last admin. You just talk a better game,” said another. “We’re not stupid.”