CNN’s own senior data reporter, Harry Enten, reportedly offered a rare note of praise for President Donald Trump this week, acknowledging that the president possesses some of the “best political instincts” he has ever seen in a politician — instincts that appear to be serving him well as public interest in the Jeffrey Epstein case rapidly declines.
According to Google Trends data cited by Enten, searches for the disgraced financier have dropped 89 percent in just three weeks, signaling that Americans have largely moved on from the matter — and from criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the so-called Epstein files.
Trump’s decision not to dwell on the controversy appears aligned with public sentiment, Enten argued on CNN Monday. “On this particular issue, you see it full well and clear because he has been saying, ‘you know what, [the Epstein files] is not an issue,’ and it turns out a lot of the American public actually seem to agree with him,” Enten said.
The president’s standing with voters remains solid. Trump’s approval rating is now at 44 percent, seven points higher than his August 2017 mark during his first term. “He’s seven points higher, very much in a different political universe now,” Enten noted.
“It’s significantly higher in terms of his overall approval rating than he was at this point in his first term … So no, he hasn’t lost any of that base and when it comes to that center of the electorate, he’s basically holding on there.”
Polling underscores how little traction the Epstein matter has gained outside the media cycle. In a July CNN/SSRS poll, only one Republican voter named Epstein as their top political issue. Not a single Democrat or Independent identified it as a priority.
The controversy was reignited in early July when the administration concluded that Epstein’s 2019 death was a suicide and confirmed that no “client list” existed.
The Epstein saga is becoming a political dud & nothingburger.
-Google searches for Epstein are down 89% from just 3 weeks ago.
-Trump's approval rating is holding steady & much higher than term 1 at this point in his presidency
-Less than 1% say it's the nation's top issue pic.twitter.com/rnp2M8qzdf— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) August 11, 2025
While Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News earlier this year she had such a list “on her desk,” the Department of Justice and White House clarified she was referring to documents from multiple unrelated cases.
Trump has been openly critical of the press for what he calls a fixation on the Epstein narrative. On July 18, he filed a defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal after it claimed he once sent Epstein a drawing of a naked woman.
That same month, The Daily Beast and Democratic strategist James Carville were forced to retract separate allegations about First Lady Melania Trump’s supposed ties to Epstein.
The president has also emphasized that he severed ties with Epstein years before the financier’s arrest. On July 29, Trump said he barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after learning Epstein was recruiting young female spa workers — including then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, who later accused Epstein of sex trafficking.
For Trump, the dwindling public focus on Epstein may be further evidence that his instincts are correct: voters care far more about his policies and leadership than about a scandal the public appears ready to leave behind.
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