US President Donald Trump has branded his own supporters "weaklings" and "stupid" for demanding the release of files related to the deceased financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump labelled the furore around the so-called Epstein files a "SCAM" and said his "PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit'".
It comes amid a growing rift within his Make America Great Again (MAGA) Republican coalition over the Epstein files and a "client list" which the FBI last week announced did not exist.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last week announced it would not release any further documents related to Epstein or his suicide in a New York jail cell.
Claiming the Democrats were peddling "fake news", he wrote lashing out at Republicans: "I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.
"Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!"
He later told reporters those calling for the release of the files were "some stupid Republicans" and "wasting their time".
"Don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!"
The Justice Department and the FBI also acknowledged that Epstein did not maintain a "client list" to whom underage girls were trafficked.
The "client list" has been the central pillar of a number of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein, and senior members of Mr Trump's administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, had previously promised to release it.
Mr Trump has been under pressure over the issue, with the saga threatening to undermine the loyal support he receives from the MAGA base of the Republican Party.
A number of high profile conservative influencers have also criticised the FBI's statement and attorney general's response, but the president has so far backed Ms Bondi.
But in recent days he has also appeared willing to discredit the theory, describing it as the "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax".
In his Truth post, the US president compared the Epstein client list to other high-profile sagas, including allegations Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
He also pointed blame at the Democrats for peddling the story.
"The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again!"
Mr Trump knew Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s.
During the 2021 trial of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier's longtime pilot, Lawrence Visoski, testified that Mr Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times.
Mr Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
ABC/Reuters
