Most Americans want the Epstein files released, poll finds

About three-quarters of Americans support the release of all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll finds.

Another 13% want some of the Epstein files released, while only 9% don’t want any documents released.

President Donald Trump’s administration has faced growing bipartisan pressure to release the government’s files on Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in jail awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Once newly elected Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., is sworn in, she is expected to sign on to a House effort to make the files public. Grijalva, the daughter of late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, would provide the critical 218th signature to force a vote over the majority threshold. But House Speaker Mike Johnson has delayed swearing in the new lawmaker, saying it would not happen until regular session resumes next week, a move that Grijalva sees as intentional in order to push off the Epstein petition.

Trump, who called for release of the files during his reelection campaign, has called the case “a hoax” since returning to office. He has also downplayed or denied his relationship with the convicted child sex offender, even as more documents, such as his purported birthday note to Epstein, have been released by Congress. Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but his relationship with Epstein has been under renewed scrutiny.

READ MORE: See the alleged Trump birthday note to Epstein, released by House Democrats

While Trump has told the public not to “waste time and energy” on Epstein, majorities in each party say they want all the documents released, with those sentiments strongest among Democrats (84%) and independents (83%).

Though the president has stoked conspiracy theories that the documents were invented by Democrats or other foes, he’s faced pressure from his own supporters on this issue. A majority of Republicans — 67% — said they’d want all the files released, which “obviously goes in the face of what the administration has been pushing,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion.

“What we’ve been talking about since Donald Trump came on the political scene way back when, now 10 years ago really, is that despite things he’s done and said, nothing seems to stick,” Miringoff said, “but the Epstein thing certainly speaks to an exception that proves the rule.”

Why Americans want the files released

Amanda Ciampa, an independent voter in New York, said all the Epstein files should be released and done so in a way that protects survivors’ identities.

Doing so would “calm down a lot of the conspiracy theories” circling the case, by confirming or debunking the rumors that have arisen over the years, said Ciampa, who voted for a third-party candidate in the last election.

Watch the segment in the player above.

Benjamin Bailey, an independent in Arizona, would also like to see all the Epstein files released.

“Regardless of who was on those lists, I think those names should be out there and there should be consequences for the crimes that they committed,” said Bailey, who started paying more attention to the case when Epstein’s suicide was announced.

“Just as a normal person who follows the law, I get pulled over, I get a speeding ticket or I commit a crime, I go to jail. But somehow, if you’re rich and powerful in this country, you can traffic people’s children and nothing will happen to you,” he added.

How Americans feel about the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files

A majority of Americans — 61% — disapprove of how the Trump administration has handled the Epstein files, including 88% of Democrats and 69% of independents. Only 20% overall approve, while another 20% say they don’t have enough information to weigh in.

Only 45% of Republicans approve of the administration’s handling of the files, while 30% are unsure and another 25% disapprove.

Watch the segment in the player above.

Ciampa said that the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case has been “horrible,” saying that the president had pledged to release the files while on the campaign trail, but has yet to follow through on that promise.

Bailey believes that responsibility for how the case has been handled doesn’t just lie with the current administration, but the previous one, too.

Garry Vaughn, a Republican in Colorado, feels that Trump has been “more honest” than any politician in a long time, though he’d like to see the Epstein files released.

Vaughn said he strongly felt that the Epstein case had been “mishandled from the very beginning” and was skeptical of the circumstances around Epstein’s death. He also expressed concern about whether releasing the files would cause harm to any of the survivors.

READ MORE: The facts and timeline of Trump and Epstein’s falling out

The goings-on in the Epstein case just isn’t a priority for John So, an independent in Texas who tends to support Democratic policies.

“We should be focusing on political issues and societal issues that have broader based application to the everyday person,” he said, citing issues like inflation and tariffs that affect the economy, gun control, free speech and political violence.

Still, So said he understands why the release of more documents would be important for some, especially if greater transparency would implicate people who are in positions of power.

The story of the Epstein files “gets lost in 15 other stories that are going on right now,” Miringoff said. Yet Republican voters seem to be drawing a line with Trump on this case.

“For whatever reason, this [issue] seems to have hit home more than any of the others,” he said.