Epstein files and affordability concerns threaten to knock Trump's 2nd presidency off course

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ’s veneer of political invulnerability has begun to crack as he struggles to find his footing on Americans’ concerns about affordability and fails to extinguish a push by renegade Republicans to release more files from the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The twin challenges, coming shortly after Democratic victories in recent elections and before next year’s midterm campaigns that will determine control of Congress, represent a sobering situation for a president who has reveled in his unrivaled dominance in Washington.

He has overhauled the federal government with brute force, deployed troops in cities around the country, ignored concerns about the legality of military operations and launched remodeling projects like a gilded ballroom attached to the White House.

But Trump’s aggressive approach to his second term does not undo political realities, such as dissatisfaction with the economy that festers despite inflation that's lower than during President Joe Biden's term.

“We had the highest, think of it, the highest inflation in the history of our country,” Trump said Monday at a summit sponsored by McDonald's. “Now we have normal inflation. We're going to get it a little bit lower, frankly, but we have normal, we've normalized it, we have it down to a low level, but we're going to get it a little bit lower. We want perfection.”

In addition, there's the inescapable fact that the president is a lame duck who is constitutionally prohibited from running again, despite his interest in remaining in office.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has frequently angered Trump, reminded his party about this on Sunday as he urged lawmakers to support legislation that would force the Justice Department to publish documents about Epstein.

“I would remind my Republican colleagues who are deciding how to vote — Donald Trump can protect you in red districts right now by giving you an endorsement,” Massie said on ABC News. “But in 2030, he’s not going to be the president, and you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don’t vote to release these files, and the president can’t protect you then.”

Epstein, who died by suicide several years ago, was a convicted sex offender infamous for his connections to wealthy and powerful people, making him a fixture of outrage and conspiracy theories about wrongdoing among American elites.

Trump had opposed the Epstein bill in the House, describing it as a continuation of investigations that have shadowed him for years, until he abruptly reversed course Sunday, saying “it's time to move on” from the issue by announcing his support for the vote.

It was an acknowledgement that Trump had suffered a rare defeat in the Republican-controlled Congress, where party members have been reluctant to curtail his authority.

Even as he strains to impose his will on Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, whom he split with over the weekend, Trump also is trying to stave off potential losses in next year's midterms. If Democrats take control of Congress, they will be empowered to block Trump's agenda and investigate his administration.

He's been pushing state leaders to redraw congressional districts to improve his party's chances. On Monday, he stewed that Indiana Republicans weren't toeing his line, and he announced that he would endorse primary challenges against any lawmaker who doesn't support redistricting.

“We must keep the Majority at all costs,” Trump wrote on social media. "Republicans must fight back!”

Holding the line will most likely require addressing Americans' economic concerns, which have sometimes taken a backseat to Trump's focus on establishing a foreign policy legacy and scaling up immigration enforcement.

Trump conceded Sunday night that some consumer costs are “a little bit higher." Addressing affordability has prompted Trump to partially backtrack on tariffs, a core part of his economic agenda. His administration reduced levies on imports of products like coffee, beef and tropical fruit, an implicit concession that tariffs have increased costs despite the president's promises to the contrary.

The president has also proposed a $2,000 dividend, funded by tariff revenue, for all Americans except for the rich. But there's no guarantee that Congress will go along with the idea when the federal government continues to struggle with debt, and sending cash to people could increase the inflation that Trump has pledged to eliminate.

Still, Trump delivered a rather upbeat message about the economy at the McDonald's event.

“We're really doing well as a country,” he said.

Democrats swept elections in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere this month, a sign of discontent with Trump's handling of the economy.

Neil Newhouse, a longtime Republican pollster, said Democratic victories weren't surprising but “what got our attention was the depth and the breadth of the wins.”

He warned that his party risks making the same mistakes as Democrat Biden, who oversaw high inflation while attempting to convince voters that the problem would soon pass.

“We can tell them prices are going down until we’re blue in the face," Newhouse said. "Unless they’re seeing it at the grocery stores, it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference.”

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the McDonald's Impact Summit, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks at the McDonald's Impact Summit, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks at the McDonald's Impact Summit, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks at the McDonald's Impact Summit, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks at the McDonald's Impact Summit, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the White House task force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Trump returns to the White House following a weekend in Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire ripped through a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, killing 25 people, including tourists, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.

The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.

Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.

The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, witnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where nearly 100 tourists were on the dance floor. Several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff, it said.

Fatima Shaikh said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.

The nightclub, located along the Arpora River backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the firefighters to park their tankers about 400 meters (1,300 feet) away, delaying the efforts, the news agency said.

Sawant said the club had violated fire safety regulations. The state government ordered an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and responsibility, he said, adding that authorities would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite the violations.

Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club, which didn't have construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the fire "deeply saddening# and said he spoke with Sawant. Modi said the government “is providing all possible assistance” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.

“This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance,” Rahul Gandhi, a top leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, wrote in a social media post. He called for a transparent probe to "fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don’t occur again.”

The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.

The nightclub, which caught fire on early Sunday, is seen across an expanse of water in Arpora, in Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

The charred interior of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, is seen in Arpora, in Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)