said on Sunday he spoke to deputy FBI director Dan Bongino to try to calm an uproar over how the Justice Department handled the probe into the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele. Asked by reporters if Bongino remained in his position after reportedly pondering resigning, Trump said: "Oh I think so... I spoke to him today. Dan Bongino, very good guy. I've known him a long time. I've done his show many, many times. He sounded terrific, actually."

Bongino represents a part of Trump's "Make America Great Again" base of support that has long been suspicious of Epstein, whose 2019 death in federal custody has been ruled a suicide. In a joint memo released last Monday, the FBI and the Justice Department said there was no evidence to support a number of long-held conspiracy theories about Epstein's death and his alleged clientele.

Conservative influencers from Laura Loomer to Elon Musk have criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their findings, which came months after Bondi pledged to reveal major revelations about Epstein, including "a lot of names" and "a lot of flight logs."

U.S. media, including Fox News and NBC News, have reported that Bongino has clashed with Bondi over the issue and was considering stepping down.

Patel and Bongino, a former conservative podcaster, both previously made statements before working at the FBI about a so-called client list and often suggested that the government was hiding information about Epstein from the American public.