American late-night television hosts have launched a scathing critique of Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, with Jon Stewart leading the charge by questioning whether the former president's "whole facade is crumbling."
The Great Reversal
The controversy ignited when Trump performed a dramatic U-turn on his position regarding the release of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After months of opposition, Trump suddenly urged House Republicans to authorise the Justice Department's release of the files - documents he possesses the executive power to declassify himself.
Jon Stewart dismantled this contradiction on The Daily Show, reminding viewers: "If he had nothing to hide, he could have declassified and released these files himself at any time." The comedian supported his argument by playing footage of Trump from 2022 where the former president claimed he could declassify documents "even by thinking about it."
Stewart wondered aloud: "Is it possible that Trump's whole bullshit facade is crumbling? Right now, all he can do is distract from one lie with what is clearly another lie."
Comedic Consensus Across Late Night
Stephen Colbert focused on disturbing content within the documents, particularly one email where Epstein claimed Trump "knew about the girls." When Republicans accused Democrats of cherry-picking evidence, Colbert suggested: "For this one, let's maybe go with a different fruit."
The Late Show host noted the irony that when House Republicans released additional documents to prove transparency, they ultimately made Trump "look awful." The new batch revealed Trump's name appeared more than 1,600 times, with one Epstein email describing Trump as having "not one decent cell in his body."
Seth Meyers highlighted concerns about Trump's tactics, quoting Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky who warned that opening investigations could be "a big smokescreen" to prevent file releases. Meyers mocked Trump's response to questions about Epstein, noting he immediately cried "fake news" rather than addressing the substance.
Jimmy Kimmel pointed out the absurdity of Trump's new position, asking: "If you have nothing to hide, why even have the vote? Why not just have the Department of Justice release the files now?" The comedian observed that after ten months of resistance, Trump's sudden reversal seems designed to preemptively discredit the documents as "fake."
Beyond the Punchlines
While the commentary was delivered through comedy, the hosts raised serious questions about transparency and accountability. Stewart concluded his segment by emphasising that while frequent mentions in the Epstein files don't constitute evidence of guilt, they firmly place Trump "in that world" and suggest "his understanding of what was occurring."
The coordinated criticism across multiple late-night programmes underscores growing scrutiny of Trump's handling of the Epstein case as a House vote looms that could force document releases despite Republican divisions.
