A new poll by Emerson College Polling reveals that a vast majority of U.S. voters disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of matters related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, particularly surrounding the alleged client files. The poll, conducted between July 21 and 22 among 1,400 registered voters, found that only 16% approve, while over 51% disapprove. An additional 32% of respondents said they were neutral on the issue.
Poll Highlights Deep Voter Dissatisfaction
“This was the worst-performing issue for Trump among all those surveyed,” said Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson College Polling.
“Sixteen percent approval is the lowest. Fifty-one percent disapproval is the highest. So this is an issue where voters are not happy with how things are going.”
The poll’s margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points, and it highlights widespread voter skepticism and concern over the administration’s transparency regarding the Epstein case.
Context: Repeated Vows, Missing Files
Earlier in the year, both President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi had publicly vowed to release what they described as Epstein’s “client list,” a purported set of documents listing powerful individuals connected to the convicted sex offender. However, the Department of Justice and the FBI announced on July 7 that such files never existed.
Despite those statements, media reports surfaced this week suggesting Bondi informed Trump in May that his name appeared in some form within investigative materials, reigniting public interest and political tension surrounding the case.
Previous Polls Echo Similar Sentiment
The Emerson poll follows a Quinnipiac University survey released on July 16, which similarly found that 63% of voters disapproved of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein matter, with only 17% expressing approval.
Overall Approval Ratings Hold Steady
Despite the sharp disapproval on this issue, Emerson’s poll also found that President Trump’s overall approval rating ticked up slightly to 46%, while his disapproval rating rose to 47%, both increasing by one percentage point from the prior month.
Growing Calls for Transparency
Pressure has been mounting from lawmakers—both Democratic and some Republican—for greater transparency in the Epstein case, particularly concerning high-profile individuals who may have been connected to his criminal activities.
As scrutiny intensifies and public opinion sours, the handling of the Epstein files could remain a politically sensitive and damaging issue for the Trump administration heading into the next election cycle.
