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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia has been praised for a recent speech, in which he dubbed the Donald Trump administration "the Epstein class."
Ossoff, a Democrat, held a rally at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday. In his 30-minute speech, the senator slammed President Donald Trump over rising prices and for making "millions while others struggle to make ends meet." He also called the administration "the Epstein class", referencing disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Clips of the speech circulated widely on social media. Writing on X, left-leaning users praised the speech, with self-described progressive political YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella writing: "Every Democrat needs to watch this video and sound more like Jon Ossoff."
Read More on Politics
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Newsweek: “In just one year, President Trump’s policies have cooled inflation, raised real wages, accelerated GDP growth, and slashed the prices of prescription drugs and gasoline. Americans can rest assured that, as these policies continue taking effect, the best is yet to come.”
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Why It Matters
Ossoff's speech came in the midst of an international scandal around the Epstein files. More than 3 million pages of Epstein‑related documents have recently been released by the Justice Department, with more to come after Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025 amid calls from the public for greater transparency about the case. High-profile figures including Trump have been named in the files, though being included in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
Democrats are seeking to build strong coalitions and unity ahead of the midterm elections in November 2026. Some analysts and pundits have suggested that during the 2024 elections, the party alienated moderates while others said the party was not progressive enough. The GOP has a slim majority in both chambers of Congress and if Republicans lose either the House or Senate, it will be more difficult for Trump to implement his policy agenda.
What To Know
In his speech, Ossoff said: "We were told that MAGA was for working-class Americans. But this is a government of, by, and for the ultra-rich. It is the wealthiest cabinet ever. This is the Epstein class ruling our country. They are the elites they pretend to hate."
"He was supposed to drain the swamp," he added. "Instead, this is the most corrupt administration of all time and everybody knows it."
In response, Democratic strategist Matt McDermott, with nearly 100,000 followers on X wrote: "Jon Ossoff renames the MAGA elites running the country: the Epstein class."
X account Call to Activism, which aims to "expose MAGA corruption, defend democracy, and uplift those fighting for truth and justice" and has 1.1 million followers, said: "Jon Ossoff is on fire at his rally."
What People Are Saying
Ossoff said in his speech: "Trump was supposed to fight for the working class. Instead, he's closing rural clinics and hospitals to cut taxes for [billionaire investor] George Soros and Elon Musk. He was supposed to end the globalist world police foreign policy. Instead, we're doing war for oil and nation-building again and threatening to conquer Greenland..."
Update 02/10/26, 7:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the White House.
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