The rhetoric marks a dramatic escalation for the Republican president, who has broken with some of his most loyal backers on issues in the past, but never with such fervor.

President Donald Trump dodged more questions on the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein while speaking to reporters Tuesday, claiming that parts of the investigative files had been “made up” by his political opponents as questions swirl over his own past relationship with the late sex offender.

President Trump called some Republicans and past supporters "stupid" for believing in what he calls a "hoax" regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files, which the Department of Justice has not released fully.