Trump's week in review: From Faith Summit to Epstein developments

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, July 19, 2025

A protest group called "Hot Mess" hold up signs of Jeffrey Epstein in front of the Federal courthouse on July 8, 2019, in New York City. According to reports, Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. | Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

4. Trump tells Bondi to seek release of Epstein grand jury testimony

In a statement posted on Truth Social Thursday evening, Trump announced that “Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to court approval.” The president expressed hope that providing more information about the case involving the late billionaire convicted of having sex with underage girls and his ties to influential men worldwide would lead to the end of “this SCAM, perpetuated by Democrats.”

Trump’s call to Bondi comes more than a week after he first received backlash when he responded to a reporter’s inquiry at a cabinet meeting about “why there was a minute missing from the jailhouse tape” of the area around Epstein’s cell around the time he allegedly died by suicide in 2019. The president told reporters that it's “unbelievable” people are “still talking about this creep,” amid what he viewed as more pressing matters in the news, including the deaths caused by flooding in Texas.

While the reporter's question was directed at Bondi, Trump interrupted to make his displeasure with the question perfectly clear.

Backlash over Trump’s dismissal of the importance of the Epstein case extended to both the Left and Right. In an X post last Sunday, conservative blogger Matt Walsh outlined the main points of the criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case: “The Attorney General said she had the client list on her desk. The White House made a big show of giving binders marked ‘Epstein Files: Phase 1’ to a bunch of influencers. Now they tell us that there is no list and we should stop talking about it.”

“Well then why did you say there was a list? Why did you pull that stunt with the influencers? Why did you call it Phase 1 (obviously implying that there were more phases to come)?” he asked. “If you claim that all of this seems normal, above board, and honest, you’re being extremely obtuse.”