Arabic version: الجمهوريون يواجهون ضغوطاً بسبب إبستين وإيران وترامب
According to Al Jazeera, Republicans heading into November’s US midterm elections are confronting political pressure over President Donald Trump’s approach to the Jeffrey Epstein files, the ongoing war with Iran and his promise to “drain the swamp”. Trump built support as a political outsider with “America first” and anti-establishment messaging, but the report says some candidates in competitive races are focusing instead on local issues and gas prices.
Rina Shah, a geopolitical adviser, strategist and former senior GOP congressional aide, said the Iran war and continued disclosures related to Epstein were appearing in attack advertisements and “soft polling”. Trump had pledged during his 2024 campaign to declassify FBI files concerning Epstein and his network of contacts. After taking office, however, he called the issue a “hoax”, while his administration released heavily redacted batches of files and continued to withhold some material.
A handful of Republican lawmakers joined efforts that forced release of the files, but several faced political consequences. Marjorie Taylor Greene left her Georgia seat in January 2026 after publicly clashing with Trump over Epstein. Nancy Mace lost her bid to become the Republican candidate in South Carolina after Trump declined to endorse her. Lauren Boebert narrowly won her primary after supporting transparency calls, while Thomas Massie also drew Trump’s anger.
Trump also faces criticism from parts of the MAGA movement over the US-Israel war on Iran, despite his earlier opposition to foreign military involvement. In September, seven Republican House members joined Democrats to pass an anti-war bill, while similar Senate efforts drew support from only a handful of Republicans. Trump called Republican backers of the measures “unpatriotic”. He also backed a primary rival to Senator Bill Cassidy after Cassidy voted for an anti-war bill and later lost his Louisiana primary.
On government reform, Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency forced tens of thousands of federal workers from their jobs and dismantled institutions including the US Agency for International Development. Shah said lobbying groups, including those supporting foreign governments, had been given freedom while ethics rules and watchdogs addressing political corruption were weakened.
