Everything they do is a distraction. The Epstein news was a distraction from the the botched response to the floods which was a distraction from the big ugly bill which was a distraction from the immigration news which was a distraction from etc. etc. etc.....
There's no point sitting around wondering why we're not talking about, say, Trump extorting mineral rights from Ukraine, because that was three months ago and it already feels like three decades. While Trump is president, lurching from one disaster to another is the new normal. But this is not planned -- it just speaks to the number of crises that Trump is capable of generating through either malice or incompetence.
However, I believe these individual crises can and do eventually affect individual voters. So in my opinion, the best thing to do is make as much political hay as possible from each one as it happens, then move on to the next.
For what it's worth though, I don't think the Epstein thing is going to go away as easily as the administration would like it to. There are powerful MAGA influencers out there who have made entire careers out of flogging Epstein conspiracy theories. Many of those people aren't likely to derail their personal gravy trains by suddenly turning around and telling their supporters, "You know what, this was all actually as big mistake."
The people that these influencers have been fleecing are raging conspiracy theorists, and they are deeply entrenched in the Epstein conspiracy theory. It's highly likely that the influencers who are currently backing out of the conspiracy theory will become targets for the influencers who are seeking to continue it, and the latter group will recognize that there is engagement to be had by going after the "turncoats" who are suddenly "part of the coverup."
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