Americans sceptical of Trump on Epstein, as poll finds just 23pc approve of how he's handled crisis

Americans are deeply sceptical of Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, though he is shoring up support among his core Republican followers who have long focused on the case, a new Reuters and Ipsos poll has found.

The poll, completed on Monday, found that most Americans believe the Trump administration is covering up information about the late sex offender, including his 2019 death and his ties to rich and powerful people. 

The people in the US also do not believe the US president's claim that he was unaware of Epstein's alleged trafficking of teenage girls when the two were friends decades ago, according to the poll. 

Only 23 per cent of Americans approved of the way Mr Trump was handling the ongoing scandal, the poll found, while 52 per cent disapprove.

However, the new poll has found he appears to be easing the concerns of his supporters — 53 per cent of Republicans said they approved of the way he was handling the issue, up from 44 per cent last month. 

That is still well below the 85 per cent approval rating the US president enjoys overall among Republicans.

That could prove crucial. Mr Trump stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before he returned to the White House this year, and prominent supporters have accused his administration of a cover-up.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress defied Mr Trump last month and passed a law requiring the Justice Department to release documents by December 19 from its long-running investigation into Epstein.

The online poll of 4,434 US adults, conducted December 3 through December 8, found lingering suspicion about the US government's role.

Some 62 per cent of those surveyed, including 56 per cent of Republicans, said they believed the government is hiding information about Epstein's death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges.

An even higher proportion — 70 per cent — said they thought the government was hiding information about people who may have participated in the late financier's alleged sex trafficking of teenage girls, including 62 per cent of Republicans.

And only 18 per cent said they thought it was likely that Mr Trump did not know about Epstein's alleged crimes before they were made public. Among Republicans, that figure was 34 per cent.

The president has said he was not aware of Epstein's activities, and says he broke off their friendship before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

In November, the president signed off on legislation to force the release of the "Epstein files" — the final step required to turn the bill into law.

It means the US Department of Justice now has a 30-day deadline to release all unclassified documents about its investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Reuters/ABC