The Tavern Take: Week of June 15, 2026
Voters spent last week drawing lines around power. Epstein hearings hit 72-16, the defense increase cratered at -36, and concrete stakes beat "democracy" by 38 points.
The Epstein Finding Isn't 53-20. It's the Broken Promise at −25.
Transparency demand holds at net +33 on the subpoena. But Trump's specific retreat from his 2024 promise is what's pulling his numbers — and the DOJ's coding-error explanation isn't helping.
The Epstein Files Are a Supermajority Issue
The coverup frame is winning by 65 points. 73% of voters support requiring release of all withheld Epstein pages. 8% oppose. This is not a partisan issue. It's a transparency issue—and the administration's defensive posture is untenable.