16% of voters approve of Trump's handling of Epstein files, poll shows
A majority of voters disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of the supposed files regarding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new poll.
The poll, released by Emerson College Polling on July 25, found more than 51% of respondents disapprove of the Trump administration's handling of the files. Just 16% said they approved.
Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi both previously vowed to release Epstein's supposed client list, but the Department of Justice and FBI said on July 7 such files never existed. Some Republicans have pushed for more transparency around the case in the weeks since. This week, multiple reports said Bondi told Trump in May that he was mentioned in the files.
The Emerson poll was released more than a week after a Quinnipiac University survey published on July 16 showed almost two-thirds of voters disapproved of the administration's handling of the Epstein case. In that poll, 17% of registered voters approved, versus 63% who disapproved.
In addition to surveying voters about specific issues, Emerson's July poll found Trump's overall approval and disapproval ratings each increased one percentage point from the month prior, reaching 46% and 47%, respectively.
How do Americans feel about Trump's handling of Epstein files? Poll offers insight
Surveyed voters were asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files?"
Sixteen percent of respondents said they approve, while more than 51% said they disapprove. Another 32% said they are neutral on the topic.
Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson College Polling, said the poll's Epstein question was the "worst" result for Trump among any of the issues the survey asked about.
"Sixteen percent approval is the lowest. 51% disapproval is the highest. So this is an issue where voters are not happy with how things are going," Kimball said.
The poll was conducted between July 21-22 among 1,400 U.S. voters. It has a margin of error of ±2.5 points.
Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey, Paste BN
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for Paste BN. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.