Donald Trump reportedly helped celebrate Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday with a bawdy greeting accompanied by a hand-drawn image of a naked woman.
A report from The Wall Street Journal on Thursday uncovers new details about the relationship between the president and disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
A letter bearing Trump’s name, which was reviewed by The Journal, contains several lines of typewritten text framed by a drawing of a naked woman. His signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair, according to the report.
The letter concludes: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
In an interview with The Journal, Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the picture: “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,” he said. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”
The explosive revelation culminates a disastrous week for the Trump administration as anger on the right refuses to die down over the so-called Epstein files.
Trump’s MAGA supporters have been furious following a Department of Justice memo on July 6 that effectively closed the case.
On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly promised to release FBI files related to Epstein, who died by suicide behind bars on August 10, 2019, while awaiting his sex trafficking trial. But the president’s promises fell flat.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, on Trump’s directive, also promised to release the Epstein files but after months of delays, the DOJ and FBI’s memo said the agencies would not be releasing any more documents relating to the Epstein case, and that the sex offender’s highly anticipated “client list” does not exist.
Bondi had claimed the files were “sitting on her desk” in February. She invited right-wing influencers to the White House for a photo-op at the end of that month, where they held up binders containing “Phase 1” of the Epstein files.
The files contained information largely already in the public domain and since then, the attorney general has been on the receiving end of MAGA’s ire.
Bondi continued to stall. In May she claimed there were “tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn,” which fueled further conspiracy theories that powerful people were being protected and the “Phase 1” binders had been to allow time for some kind of cover-up.
But then, on July 7, she said no client list existed and that no more information would be released.
It was a major blow to MAGA, including those within Trump’s own administration. Deputy FBI director Don Bongino, who last year pushed conspiracy theories that Epstein was murdered, almost walked over the memo, according to reports.
While the White House likely hoped MAGA’s fury would blow over quickly, outrage has only intensified. Frustrated, Trump lashed out at his supporters this week and reportedly complained in private that they won’t “shut the f*** up” about the Epstein files.
“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!” Trump said in a Truth Social fury post.
Even the White House has tried to temper the fury about the files. On July 17, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about a request to appoint a special prosecutor to the Epstein files case.
“The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case,” Leavitt said. “That’s how he feels. And as for his discussions with the attorney general, I’m not sure.”
