BUCKTIN: MAGA messiah to Murdoch pariah - final goodbye to Trump's credibility

For many public figures, a friendship with Jeffrey Epstein would already have proved ruinous. Just ask Prince Andrew.

Until now Trumphas successfully portrayed his acquaintance with the paedophile financier as nothing sinister butthis alleged birthday card could change all that. As ever, the President responded with denials, declaring: “I never wrote a picture in my life.” That at least is a provable lie – his 2008 book Trump Never Give Up dedicates a whole section to his “talent” for doodling pictures. And signed sketches of cityscapes and buildings drawn by Trump have sold at auction for up to £22,000.

So why lie? It’s because if this naked sketch is real – if Trump really did send it to Jeffrey Epstein – the implications are devastating.

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His words with it, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” reveal camaraderie with a man who was trafficking underage girls. Trump’s once-loyal Maga base is in revolt, as are those who peddled his propaganda.

For years, Rupert Murdoch’s US media empire – Fox News, the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal – shielded and amplified Trump. Now it is the WSJ that is delivering the coup de grâce.

Trump may still rely on Fox’s sycophants, but the Journal’s coverage is more rigorous than ever: sceptical, critical and, crucially, uninterested in protecting his image. The editorial lines emerging from Murdoch’s publications show the media mogul no longer believes in Trump’s viability or political immunity.

The meltdown is more than personal betrayal; it has national consequences too. The flagship media support that once conferred legitimacy on Trump has crumbled. The Journal’s reputation now rests on exposing Trump as duplicitous, feckless, even disgusting – a far cry from the pre-2024 cheerleading.

The convicted criminal can shout “fake news” all he wants. But the evidence is mounting. The man has surrounded himself with secrets for far too long.

It’s time for Trump to go.