日本語
한국어
Tiếng Việt
简体中文
A recent social media post by former President Donald Trump, defending Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, has generated significant controversy, leading to an unprecedented online phenomenon known as being “ratioed” on his platform, Truth Social. This marks the first instance such a reaction has occurred on the site primarily dedicated to his supporters. The term “ratioed” signifies a post receiving a disproportionately higher number of replies or comments compared to its likes or shares, often indicating widespread disagreement or criticism rather than endorsement.
In a weekend message, former President Trump vociferously defended Bondi’s actions, hailing her performance as “FANTASTIC” and urging his followers to move past the Jeffrey Epstein discussion. He stated, “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. Let’s not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”
This extensive and defensive statement, seemingly aimed at his own political base, appears to have backfired. Publicly available engagement data from Truth Social reveals the post accumulated over 36,000 replies. In contrast, it received approximately 11,000 “re-truths” (shares) and 32,000 likes as of Sunday morning, indicating a rare imbalance of negative engagement.
Why It Matters
This significant pushback on Truth Social highlights a burgeoning internal rift within the MAGA movement. Many of Trump’s loyalists have been eagerly awaiting promised disclosures from the “Epstein Files” for months. Truth Social, specifically engineered as a sanctuary for Trump and his followers, typically sees overwhelmingly positive engagement, making this backlash particularly noteworthy.
What To Know
The underlying tension seems to originate from deep-seated frustration regarding unfulfilled commitments concerning the Epstein affair. Previously, Trump and his associates had frequently hinted at the release of undisclosed documents, including an alleged “client list,” under his leadership. Bondi herself had claimed to possess such a list. However, a recent Justice Department announcement declared the non-existence of such a list and reaffirmed Epstein’s sole culpability, attributing his 2019 jail death to suicide. This unexpected and inconclusive outcome, coupled with the administration’s reluctance to release additional files, has ignited outrage among segments of Trump’s base, particularly activists and online influencers who had fostered considerable anticipation for more extensive revelations.
Echoing this discontent, chants demanding Bondi’s resignation were audible at the recent Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa. While President Trump’s subsequent post appeared to be a direct counter to this burgeoning dissent, it paradoxically intensified the backlash.
The comments section on Truth Social quickly filled with expressions of dismay. One user, identified as “Mother Rosie,” conveyed deep disappointment: “This statement breaks my heart, Mr. President… I can’t even begin to comprehend the flipped narrative that ‘it was so long ago’ ‘why are we still talking about this’ and ‘nobody should care.’ These victims were some ones daughters… Accountability was not something negotiable.” Another user, “Crissy,” whose profile picture showed her in a Trump-supporting beanie, directly challenged the administration: “We want the ELITE PEDOS exposed! You promised us that. Pam promised us that. Kash promised us that. Now it’s OUR fault bc we want that promise fulfilled and call Pam out every time she lies?” A stark warning came from “Dewayne Sykes,” who commented: “This is going to cost you so many supporters. I being one of them.” Amidst the criticism, some voices offered support, such as Navy veteran “Robby F.,” who wrote: “We all want to know. But President Trump only has the evidence that these criminals left for him to find. If he gets his hands on anything that’s useful, we will know.”
How the Analysis Was Done
The analysis of this unprecedented ‘ratio’ was based on data from an open-source GitHub repository, which meticulously collects and archives all of Trump’s Truth Social posts, along with their public engagement metrics like reply, like, and re-truth counts. Out of over 1,000 posts since 2022 within this dataset, a specific filter was applied to pinpoint any instance where replies surpassed both likes and shares. Only the July 12, 2025 post defending Pam Bondi met this unique criterion. While other posts have attracted substantial reply volumes, this singular instance marks the first and only time President Trump has faced more public rebuke than support from his own follower base on Truth Social.
What People Are Saying
Beyond Truth Social, other prominent figures weighed in. FBI Director Kash Patel, for example, asserted on X that “The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been. It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump—and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.” Far-right activist Laura Loomer also noted on X that “President Trump says he thinks Blondi [sic] is ‘doing a Fantastic job’ as AG in a post he posted on Truth Social today….” Meanwhile, Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, summarized Trump’s position on X, stating that President Trump “on the Epstein Files, says he supports Pam Bondi at AG, the files are untrustworthy and created by Comey and Brennan. He wants his Justice Department focused on the voter fraud, the rigged election, ActBlue, and arresting thugs and criminals.”
What Happens Next
Despite the former President’s apparent attempt to redirect attention away from the contentious Epstein issue through his Truth Social post, his base appears largely unswayed. The administration now confronts the significant challenge of unifying a notably fractured supporter base in anticipation of the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.