Donald Trump has broken his silence over the explosive controversy surrounding a crude birthday letter allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein more than two decades ago, dismissing it as a fake and blasting opponents for what he called a politically motivated hoax. The letter, part of a scrapbook compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, was released by House Democrats this week and has reignited scrutiny of Trump’s past association with the disgraced financier.
The page in question came from a leather-bound volume titled The First Fifty Years, a 238-page album that Epstein’s social circle, including high-profile politicians, business figures and celebrities, contributed to as a commemorative gesture. Among the entries were notes from former President Bill Clinton, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and British politician Peter Mandelson. But it was the alleged contribution from Trump that immediately dominated headlines. The page showed a sketch of a nude woman, an imagined exchange in which Trump was quoted as telling Epstein, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” with Epstein replying, “Yes, we do, come to think of it,” and a handwritten scrawl of Trump’s first name signed in a way critics said resembled pubic hair. The inscription concluded with the line, “Happy Birthday … may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The release of the page came after months of speculation about what materials tied to Epstein’s inner circle might still exist. Since Epstein’s arrest in 2019 and subsequent death in custody, activists and lawmakers have pressed for the publication of documents that could clarify the extent of his network and the role played by some of the world’s most powerful men. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee argued that the public had a right to see the scrapbook and other records. Republicans accused their opponents of turning an unrelated relic into a political weapon during an election season.
Trump himself addressed the controversy in unusually blunt terms, telling ABC News that the letter was “nonsense” and insisting, “It’s not my signature. It’s not the way I speak. It’s a dead issue.” At a separate press event he said he had never signed or written anything resembling the page, and branded the entire affair “a disgrace.” His aides said the signature did not match authenticated samples of his handwriting and vowed to cooperate with any forensic review that could put the matter to rest.