What did reported birthday letter to Epstein say? Trump now suing WSJ
'A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' the WSJ reported Trump's letter to Epstein read
- The Wall Street Journal reported on a letter allegedly written by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein for Epstein's 50th birthday.
- Trump denied writing the letter, calling the report "fake, malicious, and defamatory," and threatened to sue the WSJ.
- The letter, as reported by the WSJ, contains a hand-drawn naked woman and a fictional conversation between Trump and Epstein.
(This story was updated to add information about the lawsuit President Trump filed after publication of the Wall Street Journal's story.)
A Wall Street Journal report about a birthday letter from President Donald Trump to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein prompted Trump to first threaten, then to sue the newspaper.
The Journal reported on July 17 that Ghislaine Maxwell had a leather-bound album made for Epstein's 50th birthday, before he was first arrested. The book was to be filled with letters from Epstein's friends, and the Journal found that Trump was one of them.
Trump said the letter was "FAKE" in a Truth Social post, and called the story "false, malicious, and defamatory." On July 18 Trump filed a lawsuit in Miami federal court. He named as the defendants Dow Jones & Company, News Corporation, owner Rupert Murdoch and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.
Details of the lawsuit were not immediately available.
The report comes as the Trump administration has faced mounting pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to release more documents regarding Epstein's criminal case. Trump previously accused the Biden administration of hiding a list of Epstein clients. The Department of Justice teased that more files would be coming out, but then on July 7, Attorney General Pam Bondi said there was no client list and no further disclosure was needed.
After the Journal's story, Trump said he would direct Bondi to release more documents.
What did Trump's birthday card to Epstein say?
The Wall Street Journal reported that the letter with Trump's name on it contains an outline of a hand-drawn naked woman with typewritten text, describing an apparently imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein. According to the Journal, here is what it said:
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note started.
Donald: 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.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
Trump denied the letter again in a later Truth Social post.
"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures," he said on Truth Social.
Trump threatens legal action against WSJ, then files suit
The Journal also spoke with Trump for its story, and he denied writing the letter. He also told the outlet he would prepare a lawsuit if the Journal published the story.
“I’m gonna sue The Wall Street Journal just like I sued everyone else,” he said, according to the article.
Trump has sued several prominent news outlets, including the Paste BN Network's Des Moines Register, ABC News and CBS, according to Reuters. Now, the Wall Street Journal and its principals join the list of current or former defendants.
Is Donald Trump in the Epstein files?
Trump has already appeared in legal documents concerning Epstein's crimes, but never in a way that implicates him.
In the 1990s, Trump rode on aircraft owned by Epstein, according to flight logs released in two lawsuits. But that was 30-plus years ago.
In Palm Beach County state attorney documents, an image of a message pad communication seized in a Palm Beach police search appeared, but there is nothing more than Trump's name and a phone number.
When was Epstein caught and first charged?
A police investigation into Epstein began in March 2005 after a woman from the Palm Beach area in Florida said her 14-year-old step-daughter had been molested by a wealthy man.
In July 2006, Epstein was indicted by a grand jury on a felony charge of soliciting prostitution, which did not address the 14-year-old victim's age. He was arrested and spent one night in Palm Beach County jail, released the next day on $3,000 bond.
Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement that was called the "deal of the century." He pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, where he was allowed work leave privileges six days a week/12 hours a day over the 13 months he served.
When he was released from jail, he spent a year on house arrest but was allowed to travel anywhere so long as he returned in 24 hours.
What was Epstein convicted of?
Epstein never sat for trial, but he pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor for prostitution in 2008 in Florida. He was also a registered sex offender.
He died in 2019, before he could be tried for sex trafficking charges in New York. He was found hanged in a Manhattan jail cell, and the medical examiner ruled it a suicide.
Contributing: Zac Anderson, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Joey Garrison, Paste BN
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the Paste BN Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.