‘This Story’s Not Going Away’: Bret Baier Opens Show Reporting on Trump’s ‘Epstein Files Saga’
Bret Baier opened Special Report on the Trump’s “Epstein Files Saga,” as the chyron read, while Fox News’ own coverage of the political scandal faces scrutiny.
“President Trump says his attorney general should release whatever documents she thinks are credible concerning the late businessman and convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein,” Baier reported at the top of his show. “It’s his latest comment in the ongoing controversy that has split many of the president’s supporters,” he noted, identifying a base of Trump support still not satisfied to let this story simply go away.
As he introduced correspondent David Spunt, Baier noted, “This story does not go away here,” which could be viewed as an ominous signal for future coverage on Fox News for a president eager for the story to go away. Spunt provided a straight news report devoid of the opinion that marks Fox News’ prime time shows.
Fox News is navigating a growing divide between its MAGA audience’s obsession with the Jeffrey Epstein saga and President Donald Trump’s public insistence that “there are no Epstein files.”
In a Truth Social post over the weekend, Trump dismissed the story as a “hoax” and suggested media coverage was a distraction from alleged crimes by Democrats. The post came as newly unsealed FBI memos raised fresh questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the case, some of which occurred under Trump’s presidency.
While the story merited coverage on Sunday Fox News programming, it was entirely ignored by morning and daytime programming until Special Report provided roughly a 90-second news segment.
For Fox, the timing is awkward. The network has spent years platforming Epstein-related conspiracy theories, often framing them around powerful liberal elites. Now, faced with growing scrutiny of the Trump DOJ’s role, the network is offering only muted coverage. Bret Baier briefly addressed the issue on Special Report, but prime-time hosts have largely avoided the topic or shifted blame onto the broader media.
The editorial dilemma is clear: continuing to push Epstein narratives risks implicating Trump and contradicting his stated position. But downplaying the story risks alienating viewers who see the Epstein saga as proof of a corrupt elite protected by both parties.
Internally, producers are reportedly grappling with how to follow Trump’s lead without losing credibility with a base that expects aggressive coverage of what they view as a defining scandal. The result has been scattered messaging and a noticeable chill on a topic once heavily promoted.
The episode highlights a deeper challenge facing Fox: managing the tension between Trump’s influence and an audience increasingly steeped in conspiratorial thinking. With Trump now setting the narrative from his social platform, Fox is once again caught between loyalty to the former president and its role as a news outlet, struggling to do both, and satisfying neither.
Watch above via Fox News.
