WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Americans are deeply skeptical of President Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, though he is shoring up support among his core Republican followers who have long focused on the case, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The poll, completed on Monday, found that most Americans believe Trump's administration is covering up information about the late sex offender, including his 2019 death and his ties to rich and powerful people, and do not believe Trump's claim that he was unaware of Epstein's alleged trafficking of teenage girls when the two were friends decades ago.
Only 23% of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling the ongoing scandal, the poll found, while 52% disapprove.
However, the poll found he appears to be easing the concerns of his supporters: 53% of Republicans said they approved of the way he was handling the issue, up from 44% last month. That is still well below the 85% approval rating Trump enjoys overall among Republicans.
That could prove crucial. Trump stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before he returned to the White House this year, and prominent supporters have accused his administration of a cover-up.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress defied Trump last month and passed a law requiring the Justice Department to release documents by December 19 from its long-running investigation into Epstein.
The online poll of 4,434 U.S. adults, conducted December 3 through December 8, found lingering suspicion about the U.S. government's role.
Some 62% of those surveyed, including 56% of Republicans, said they believed the government is hiding information about Epstein's death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges.
An even higher proportion - 70% - said they thought the government is hiding information about people who may have participated in the late financier's alleged sex trafficking of teenage girls, including 62% of Republicans.
And only 18% said they thought it was likely that Trump did not know about Epstein's alleged crimes before they were made public. Among Republicans, that figure was 34%.
Trump has said he was not aware of Epstein's activities, and says he broke off their friendship before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Jason Lange; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
