President Donald Trump’s unexpected decision to support the release of the Jeffrey Epstein documents was not a spontaneous risk but rather a calculated strategy to bring to a close a protracted saga that has entangled both the White House and Congress for months.

On Sunday evening in Palm Beach, Trump expressed his frustration to reporters as he made his way to Air Force One, criticizing them for focusing on the convicted sex offender instead of addressing the rising cost of living for Americans.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Trump retorted, condemning what he called “fake news” and attacking the “terrible reporter” who dared to broach the topic.

However, just moments later, even before he ascended the steps of his plane, Trump began to grasp the political reality that he was likely to lose the vote concerning the release of evidence related to the disgraced financier.

During the one-hour and 48-minute flight back to Washington, Trump consulted with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on how to handle a week likely dominated by Epstein-related news, as reported by the Daily Mail.

In a dramatic turnaround, Trump declared on Sunday night that “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files.”

But White House insiders have told the Daily Mail that the move by Trump wasn’t a U-turn, but a calculated move to expose senior Democrats and his critics who had links to Epstein. 

President Donald Trump snapped at reporters before boarding Air Force One on Sunday night as he was grilled over the ‘Epstein files’ – shortly before he U-turned and told Republicans to vote to vote to release them

White House insiders say Trum ‘s sudden pivot on releasing the Epstein files was not an impulsive gamble, but a tactical move to end a months-long drama that has consumed the White House and Congress

Now the House is expected to vote to release the Department of Justice’s full trove of Epstein files on Tuesday afternoon.

Speaker Mike Johnson and senior Republican leaders in the House have not been able to stop their colleagues from breaking ranks and voting with Democrats.

Investigators are believed to be sitting on more than 100,000 pages connected to Epstein, but Trump insisted Monday that ‘we’ve already given 50,000 pages — no matter what we give, it’s never enough.’ 

Democrats hope embarrassing material about Trump could be included in the files, even though the president has never been officially accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and insists he fell out with him years ago.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday: ‘We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do – all of his friends were Democrats.’

‘I believe that many of the people that we, some of the people that we mentioned are being looked at very seriously for their relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, but they were with him all the time. I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all, and we’ll see what happens,’ he added. 

When asked if he would sign a bill authorizing the release of the files if it reached his desk, he said, ‘Sure I would.’

Republicans including Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene (left) and Thomas Massie (right) have broken with Trump in recent weeks to demand the release of the Epstein files 

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on Air Force One on his way to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida 

Sources close to Trump say his decision was long in the making, and it was time to put an end to the distraction that has dominated headlines and taken attention away from the work of his second administration.

‘The President’s position has not changed throughout this entire process. He has always been committed to transparency, unlike the Democrats,’ a White House official told the Daily Mail.

‘Reporters should be asking the Democrats why they suddenly care about Epstein’s victims after ignoring them for years,’ then the source added.

Another White House source said: ‘The votes were there, he was not going to win, why go down like that? Why not come out looking like he won, which is his favorite thing to do?

‘This has been building for months. He finally decided to end it on his terms.’

One former Trump official called the long-running saga ‘stupid and a waste of time’ but conceded the president had finally ‘moved in the right direction.’

Another adviser described the shift as ‘tactical and unavoidable’ and said anyone calling it a gamble ‘does not understand the math.’

White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson also told the Daily Mail there was no reversal: ‘The Democrats knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them until they thought they could weaponize the files against the President.’

Trump told Republicans to vote to release all the files related to the notorious sex trafficker, saying this week: ‘We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do – all of his friends were Democrats’ 

Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (C) speaks on the Epstein files to reporters

Coordinating the release through the Oversight Committee relieved pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi and eased fears among House Republicans who did not want to be boxed into a politically damaging roll call.

A White House official noted the committee had already released ‘thousands of pages of documents.’

But Republicans also believe the drip-drip of disclosures will hit Democrats harder than Trump. One White House official pointed to the revelation that House Delegate Stacey Plaskett accepted donations from Epstein and texted him after his 2008 conviction.

More disclosures could put heat on economist and former United States Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, former President Bill Clinton and author Michael Wolf. 

The fallout led Summers to announce on Monday evening that he would be ‘stepping back’ from public life, admitting he was ‘deeply ashamed’ of his connection to Epstein. 

A GOP operative added to the Daily Mail that Wolf would finally be exposed for his ‘hideous relationship with Epstein.’

Trump’s irritation with the saga predated the weekend. On Friday’s flight, he blamed Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Massie for keeping the issue alive after months of trying to shut it down.

Half an hour into the flight he wandered into the press cabin, where reporters pressed him again. He dismissed the controversy as a distraction engineered by Democrats and what he called ‘some of the dumber Republicans.’

‘Give me a break,’ he scoffed when asked about an email in which Epstein claimed Trump ‘knew about the girls.’

The fallout of the Epstein files release led former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers to announce on Monday evening that he would be ‘stepping back’ from public life, admitting he was ‘deeply ashamed’ of his connection to the notorious sex trafficker 

He tried to shift attention to Democrats, who he said spent far more time with Epstein. He listed Reid Hoffman, J P Morgan and Chase and ‘many other people’ to remind donors of what could soon emerge.

But the brief reprieve ended quickly as the coming vote reclaimed center stage.

‘We think it’s bad to talk about it because it gets away from the subject of how well the Republicans are doing,’ he told reporters before returning to his cabin.

Trump’s frustration with Greene and Massie has been simmering for months. Insiders say Massie’s fixation on the case became personal after Trump backed a primary challenger against him. 

As the plane descended, Trump unleashed a diatribe on Massie on Truth Social, referencing his decision to remarry a year after his wife died.

Minutes later, after stepping into the motorcade, he posted a lengthy attack on ‘wacky’ Marjorie Taylor Greene for what he called her tendency to ‘complain, complain, complain.’

Massie then teamed up with Democrats to force the transparency vote, cornering the White House.

As the plane descended, Trump unleashed a tirade on Truth Social, hitting Massie for remarrying a year after his wife’s death. Minutes after stepping into the motorcade, he blasted ‘wacky’ Marjorie Taylor Greene for what he called her tendency to ‘complain, complain, complain.’

The House fight may end on Tuesday, but a Senate showdown is already looming. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso refused to commit to a vote, saying the chamber would ‘have a discussion about it and make a decision from there.’ Senator John Kennedy signaled support.

‘I just don’t think this issue is going to go away until that issue is addressed and answered to the American people’s satisfaction, and I may end up with a sombrero on my head for saying that, but that’s the way I see it,’ Kennedy said.

For now, Trump is content with the tactical reset. ‘I’m all for it,’ he said in the Oval Office on Monday. ‘They can do whatever they want … but don’t talk about it too much.’