Donald Trump has a superpower: he seems uniquely able to escape consequences and criticism. Despite all the furor around Trump and the Epstein files, it would be easy to cynically sigh and say, Yeah, but this will just slide off his back like everything from the Access Hollywood tape to the January 6th insurrection.While Trump is putting out all the distractions that he can right now, the threat of the Epstein client list continues to loom large. Surprisingly, the heart of that problem for Trump is connected to the anti-trans hate campaign that he has stoked among MAGA Republicans. Related Remember when Hulk Hogan helped Peter Thiel bankrupt a media empire after it outed Thiel as gay? Hulk Hogan helped change journalism forever, and not for the better. A group of Republicans who have previously been very loyal to Trump have built a large part of their platform around protecting children. While thats an admirable political position to take, too often, rather than making moves that will lead to real support for children in dangerous situations, it has amounted to an excuse for bigotry and hate targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today While House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced the Protect Childrens Innocence Act back in 2022, it wasnt about preventing youths from sexual trafficking; it was about making it a felony to provide gender-affirming care. Similarly, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has yelled about LGBTQ+ people being groomers and suggested that trans people are sexual predators.Trump knows exactly how bad the Epstein files could be for him (even with supporters in his own party), and Trumps usual bag of tricks arent working.While there is no definitive proof available at the moment that Trump is implicated in the Epstein files, there is certainly a lot of smoke. We know that the Trump administration knows how to release classified files, and even how to remove a lot of the information that would actually be of interest to people, as they did with the recently released JFK files (to the disappointment of conspiracy theorists everywhere). The fact that the Epstein files remain unreleased despite Trumps campaign promises feels significant.In the last couple of weeks, two things have become very clear: Trump knows exactly how bad the Epstein files could be for him (even with supporters in his own party), and Trumps usual bag of tricks arent working. His supporters blind loyalty isnt cutting it when it comes to connections with Epsteins Island, and pundits can only go so far in casting revelations (or lack thereof) in a positive light. Thats why Trump has resorted to full damage control mode and is trying to get people to talk about anything other than Epstein.Some of his recent more extreme attempts to deflect attention from Epstein include releasing the MLK files (against the familys wishes), a move that ironically emphasizes that he can release classified files if he wants to. He has taken aim at Obama, accusing him of treason around the 2016 election despite poor evidence. (Its worth noting that, with the Supreme Courts ruling on presidential immunity that favored Trump, its unclear what Trump wants the Department of Justice to do about his Obama treason claims). And perhaps most surprising, Trump has allowed the White House to reveal that he is not the Herculean figure that he has always claimed by admitting to a health condition that is prevalent in older adults.But all of those distractions have been ineffective, with attention quickly returning to Epstein, especially after the Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump he was in the Epstein Files back in May.Trump is right to be worried. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nancy Mace both seem to have flipped their support of him over this issue.Of course, with Trump, its still possible that all of this will get pushed away as some conspiracy theory cooked up by the Democrats. Theres still room for those too far invested in the sunk-cost fallacy of Trumpism to work out some double-think explanation for all of this. But a fracture in the Republican party will leave a lot of people asking themselves uncomfortable questions about their continued support for Trump, and it seems like that fracture is here at last.Some toadies are still willing to follow Trumps guidance, like Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA), who, this week, attempted to avoid a vote on releasing the Epstein files by recessing the House early for the summer.But Trump is right to be worried. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nancy Mace both seem to have flipped their support of him over this issue. Greene was clearly upset when the first announcement dropped that the Epstein files would not be released, and has warned that hell lose his MAGA base if he doesnt come through on this. Both Greene and Mace have been hardline supporters of Trump and huge advocates of the anti-trans movement, and they both seem to be seeing where the wind is blowing as they turn on Trump. Greene, in particular, while wrong-headed about her approach, seems truly committed to her statements about protecting children.Despite Johnsons best efforts, the House Oversight Committee has voted to subpoena Epsteins accomplice, Ghislane Maxwell, and to subpoena the Justice Department for its files on Epstein. That vote saw three of the five Republicans on the 10-person committee side with the Democrats, including Nancy Mace as she distances herself from Trump. With the idea that their president might in fact pose the real harm to children, there will have to be consequences. With the current Congressional margins, it would take a relatively small number of Republicans finding their backbones and consciences for Trumps position to be in real jeopardy and for hearings to pull a lot of secrets into the light. For now, Trump seems to want to obfuscate the facts. He asked Bondi to call for the Florida Grand Jury transcripts from Epsteins trial to be released. Those documents likely arent the ones the public might be expecting, and a judge has already rejected the request.Trump is caught in a catch-22 here: He either finds a way to release the Epstein files without removing the names of people that could be implicated as predators, possibly revealing his own culpability to the world, or he goes back on his promise to release them from the campaign and people assume the worst about his possible involvement with Epsteins crimes. The real problem for him here is that its so easy to believe he might be implicated after so many stories about Trump at teen beauty pageants, his sexual abuse conviction, and the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct levied against him by at least 25 women.It seems clear that something is going to come out of all of this. If reports are to be believed, then Trump will either be present in the files, or hell be conspicuously omitted. There are going to be questions to be answered and it will put a lot of Republicans in a no-win situation: either drop Trump and feel his ire, or be perceived as protecting a child predator while running on a pearl-clutching think of the children platform as a way to attack LGBTQ+ people.It all adds up to one scandal that Trump just might not be able to ignore.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.