Trump says no one cares about Epstein. Why won't his base let it go?

One of the narratives at the heart of President Trump's political movement is this: American society is dominated by a shadowy group of elites, and those elites are deeply corrupt. <br /><br />Nothing represented that theory more than the case of Jeffrey Epstein.<br /><br />He was a man most people had never heard of initially, with a private plane and a private island. Acquainted with the world's most powerful people: British royalty, U.S. presidents.<br /><br />A man who ultimately died in jail...by suicide, according to authorities... before the case against him went to trial. Epstein's case and his death bred skepticism and conspiracy theories – especially among supporters of Donald Trump.<br /><br />Now, some of Trump's most ardent supporters are attacking his Justice Department's decision not to release all of the files related to the Epstein case.<br /><br />Trump says nobody cares about Epstein. But his base won't let it go. <br /><br />For sponsor-free episodes of <em>Consider This,</em> sign up for C<em>onsider This+</em> via Apple Podcasts or at <a href="http://plus.npr.org">plus.npr.org</a>.<br /><br />Email us at <a href="mailto:considerthis@npr.org">considerthis@npr.org</a>.