Trump's Mishandling of Epstein Files Was Exact Moment MAGA Lost Trust in Prez, Author Claims: 'They Stopped Believing in Him'

Maggie Haberman said President Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files was the first clear break between the president and part of his MAGA base, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival on Friday, the New York Times reporter said Trump's own allies watched supporters stop taking him at his word after he tried to talk them past what they were seeing.

Haberman said Trump rose back to power by telling voters that the system had stopped working for them and that he would smash it, including the secrecy around Epstein. But last year's fight over the files showcased a noticeable disconnect.

"According to his own top allies and advisors, that was when they could start seeing his own base stop believing him quite as much," she said.

She and co-author Jonathan Swan had watched Trump end earlier crises by demanding personal trust. This time, she said, the demand failed.

"It was the first time that Jonathan and I could recall, and we've heard about this, Trump saying, 'Believe me, not what you're hearing over there' and it didn't work."

Haberman said Trump had also struggled with other promises: lower prices, no new foreign wars and draining the swamp.

"If you tell people you run on, 'Joe Biden didn't fix the economy, it's clear that I am the only one who can do this. I am going to reduce prices, going to keep inflation down. I am going to fix this and also forever wars are bad and I'm going to drain the swamp,' and you break all three, yes, voters can tell," she said.

She went on to say: "And you not only break all three, you build monuments to yourself. You are building something that is literally called the Arc de Trump. Literal monuments to yourself."

For years, Haberman said, Trump could define MAGA as whatever position he held that week and keep the coalition together. Heading into the midterms, she said, that flexibility seems to be a detriment.

He has been warning his base about communism and democratic socialism. In the same stretch, he has praised New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist he once attacked, after meetings that included a session this week at Gracie Mansion.

"He likes Mamdani," Haberman said.