MAGA Epstein Anger--will Denial, Bargaining, and Depression follow?

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross identified stages of grief: Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. She never saw these as rigorous steps, but as a direction. Denial and anger travel together with bargaining and depression in a circuitous path towards acceptance. Grief, at its core, is when we see the world one way, then snap, our world changes significantly, and how we understood it now lags far behind a new reality. Catching that up is grief. and at its end is a newly constructed understanding to incorporate change.

MAGA stages

MAGA possessed a Christmas Eve’s anticipation to unwrap the Epstein Files and see how pedophile Democrats really did run that slavery ring from Comet Pizza to the Island. For years, Trump down through the MAGA food chain, promised everyone the files would tell all, explain how MAGA is the center of a moral universe created by God to purge baby-eating Democrats from office. But today, with the most MAGA of MAGA in FBI leadership, a loyal follower running the Department of Justice and, of course, the Dear Leader in the White House, what happens? Nothing to see here, move along.

Now, for perspective, the part of MAGA vociferously grieving is the “thinking-man’s” MAGA, i.e. privileged white men unaccustomed to being lied to. They held themselves out as opinion leaders who “did the research” and assured audiences that, yes, the Epstein files will settle all accounts one day. These influencers are mad because they see themselves as users, not used. Their anger is more prideful than righteous.

Denial works

However, descend down to actual MAGA ballots and when Trump says it is time to move on, they will, because they lack commitment to or even a well-formed memory of the Epstein story. A set of files has little to do with why they love fascism and Trump.

All the stories on MAGA fracturing over this are nonsensical. Many doomsday cults survive after picking the wrong Armageddon Day. This is just a speed bump, because MAGA identifies with Trump too strongly to back away for some files. Any anger will shift towards denial and bargaining with a new story rising to heal the breach, such as Tucker Carlson’s Epstein as a Mossad asset. Or, more likely, Trump will just strong-arm the narrative one influencer at a time toward fresh outrages.

Bargaining truth

The angry privileged MAGA men will not press any discontent far and, with some process, will accept the new world. MAGA influencers have too much money at stake to oppose Trump. Doing so would cost podcast eyeballs, cut merch sales, and center you in MAGA crosshairs. Soon, they all will coalesce around a story to reassure audiences that Trump is still the Fascist they all want him to be. This is the role for Bannon on down the social media line—reassure, fire up and disseminate the party line to the base. So they all will rattle Trump’s cage for a bit to assert some street cred, but all will come around to a cover story.

Acceptance

Even if any files are actually released, many in MAGA could say—why the wait? After the drama, who is to say everything is released when released? There may be a “Box #5” people say is missing. Or ten pages supposedly gone from a file. Perhaps tales of a DOJ shredding and pizza party will circulate. Releasing the files now would make their provenance suspect forever, because why did Trump put the brakes on the initial release? However, MAGA would remain in full denial, while those who profit from Trump will maintain their bargains. No acceptance of the truth here, ever, even staring at its face.

Now, the most likely reason why the Epstein files are unreleased is, in Don Jr.’s words—they are a nothing-burger. If there were Trump-incriminating evidence in a treasure trove of dirty laundry, AG Bondi would just redact and release. No, Trump’s greatest fear is the obvious mistake. It is why he took a marker to the weather map to fix his hurricane projections. Trump vastly prefers keeping people guessing and proving their loyalty, over unveiling Al Capone’s empty vault on live television. This type of evidence would actually lead more in MAGA to finally accept what a deceptive idiot Trump is.