- Donald Trump’s alleged off-colour letter to Jeffrey Epstein featured a naked woman drawing and birthday wishes
- The letter was part of a 2003 birthday album prepared by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday
- Trump denied writing the letter or drawing, calling the WSJ story fake and threatened to sue the newspaper
US President Donald Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein--the convicted sex offender--is once again under scrutiny after The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a story about an alleged off-colour letter written by the Republican to the late disgraced multimillionaire financier that featured a drawing of a naked woman.
The letter was reportedly part of a "birthday album" prepared by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former partner, for his 50th birthday in 2003. The letter bearing Trump's name featured several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman. The outline of the naked woman was reportedly "hand-drawn", depicting a pair of breasts and a "Donald" signature on an intimate area, according to the WSJ report published Thursday.
The letter concluded with the note, "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."
The transcript inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person. The transcript reportedly began with a note, saying, "There must be more to life than having everything."
"Trump: Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."
By his own admission, Trump was friendly with Epstein for years. But after the WSJ report came out, Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the picture, as he threatened to sue the newspaper.
"This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story...I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women...It's not my language. It's not my words," he said.
Trump vowed to sue The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp and Rupert Murdoch, saying that he and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had warned them not to publish the story. "The Press has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don't even exist," he wrote on his Truth social platform.
Others Featured In Epstein's Birthday Album
The album was reportedly assembled before Epstein was first arrested in 2006 and was part of documents examined by the US Justice Department as part of an investigation against the finance and Maxwell years ago. It remains unclear whether these documents were part of the Trump administration's recent review of the case.
The album contains "poems, photos and greetings from businesspeople, academics, Epstein's former girlfriends and childhood pals," according to the WSJ report.
Some of the people who submitted the letters include billionaire Leslie Wexner, the longtime leader of Victoria's Secret and attorney Alan Dershowitz.
Trump's Association With Epstein
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Trump and Epstein were often photographed together at social events that also included Maxwell and First Lady Melania Trump. The pair also features in a 1992 tape from the NBC archives that shows them partying at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
The names of Trump, along with former President Bill Clinton, also appeared several times on flight logs for Epstein's private jet.
In a 2002 New York magazine profile of Epstein, Trump was quoted as saying, "I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy...He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it-Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
However, after the disgraced financier was first arrested in 2006 and before his subsequent suicide in 2019, both men said that they had a falling out.
According to the President, his friendship with Epstein ended before he pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008.
After Epstein's arrest in 2019, Trump said he hadn't talked to the sex offender for about 15 years. "I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him...I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you," Trump said in the Oval Office at that time.
In 2023, a Trump spokeswoman told WSJ that the Republican had banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club at some point in the past, without elaborating.
