Why We Can’t Let This Slip
Two news cycles ago, Donald Trump admitted—out loud—that his golf course was a grooming site for Jeffrey Epstein. That alone should’ve stopped the presses. But instead of meaningful accountability, he rolled out a “solution” that sounds like it was pulled from a rejected dystopian spec script: lower the legal age of adulthood to 14.
Let that sink in. In the wake of a sex-trafficking scandal involving minors, the proposed fix isn’t better protections—it’s harsher punishments for kids. It’s absurd. It’s grotesque. And it’s a distraction.
More from the Authoritarian Playbook: Crisis as Cover
When cornered by moral rot, don’t address it—redirect it. That’s the move. You inflate a new moral panic, feed your base a “tough on crime” headline, and shift the conversation away from the uncomfortable truth. It’s not about solving the problem; it’s about controlling the frame.
In this case, the frame is simple: “We’re protecting society from dangerous youth.” The subtext? Don’t look too closely at the people in power, or the circles they keep.
A Pattern That’s Hard to Ignore
- Mark Foley, 2006: Republican congressman caught sending sexually explicit messages to underaged congressional pages. Leadership’s first instinct? Protect the member, not the kids.
- Roy Moore, 2017: Accused of sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old. Many Republicans couldn’t muster outright condemnation, some even leaning on biblical justifications.
- RJ May, 2025: South Carolina Republican lawmaker who built a brand on “protecting children” and targeting LGBTQ+ rights. Now indicted on charges of distributing child sexual abuse material—including videos of toddlers—under the username “joebidennnn69.”
And these are just the tip of the iceberg. A quick search of credible archives, court records, and local news will turn up hundreds of similar cases—pastors, youth leaders, party operatives, and elected officials tied to the conservative or religious-right movements who have faced charges for child sexual abuse, exploitation, or trafficking. The sheer volume of examples isn’t coincidence; it points to a deeper cultural rot, where “protect the children” rhetoric functions less as a moral stance and more as a shield for predators inside their own ranks.
Weaponized Moral Panic
This isn’t new. Anita Bryant’s 1970s “Save Our Children” campaign baked the idea into the conservative playbook: paint LGBTQ+ people as existential threats to children, then ride the panic to political power.
Fast-forward fifty years, and the formula hasn’t changed—it’s just been given a social-media facelift. The word “groomer” is now hurled at drag queens, teachers, and anyone who challenges the right’s culture-war lines. All the while, actual predators inside the tent get deflection, delay, or—at worst—a quiet resignation.
It’s projection as strategy. Create an enemy over here, so no one notices what’s happening over there.
Why Epstein Still Matters
The Epstein scandal isn’t just a lurid footnote in Trump’s biography—it’s a live wire that could expose how deep certain networks go. And that’s exactly why we can’t stop pushing for transparency.
Every deflection—whether it’s “adultifying” 14-year-olds or dragging the country into another round of manufactured outrage—serves the same end: keeping the truth buried long enough for it to stop being politically dangerous.
This isn’t a scattershot collection of bad actors—it’s a recurring formula. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it. The names and dates change, but the beats stay the same, like a song you wish you could turn off:
- Deflection through extremism: When caught in scandal, propose something wild and unconnected to shift outrage somewhere—anywhere—else.
- Hypocrisy on parade: Preach “protect the children” while shielding or excusing those who harm them.
- Moral panic as cover: Invent enemies—teachers, drag queens, queer kids—to keep eyes off predators in your own ranks.
- Justice delayed is justice erased: Stall, distract, and wait until the public’s attention drifts so accountability dies quietly.
This is the pattern. It’s been running for decades, through different scandals, different figureheads, and different excuses. Recognizing it is the first step. Refusing to look away is the second.
📚 Sources & Further Reading
These sources provide context and verification for the historical and current examples mentioned above:
- South Carolina lawmaker awaiting trial on child sex abuse material charges resigns from office – AP News
- Why Are Republicans So Obsessed With “Grooming”? – Them
- Mark Foley Congressional Page Scandal – Wikipedia
- Roy Moore & the GOP’s Moral Crisis – WHYY
- Anti-LGBTQ+ Lawmaker RJ May Indicted – GoMag
- Arrest in Connection to RJ May Case – NY Post
- The GOP’s Grooming Obsession – Indivisible
This isn’t just political theater—it’s moral malpractice. Lowering the age of adulthood in the middle of a sex-trafficking scandal is the authoritarian equivalent of throwing a smoke bomb and hoping everyone runs in the wrong direction.
The pattern is there if you look for it. The question is whether we’re willing to keep looking—loudly—before the window for real accountability slams shut.
