A birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein: What we know and what Trump says about its authenticity

On Sept. 8, the House Oversight Committee released a copy of a lewd letter allegedly written in 2003 by President Donald Trump for deceased sex offender Jeffery Epstein’s 50th birthday. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the letter, but the letter itself was not published at that time. 

The Committee received the letter, and the birthday book it was featured in, from Epstein’s estate. It was part of a trove of documents subpoenaed by the committee, some of which were released to the public in a redacted form.

In July, Trump denied writing the letter, called it a "fake thing" and said "I never wrote a picture in my life." Trump then sued the Wall Street Journal and its owners for libel describing the letter as "nonexistent."

The letter shows the outline of a woman's body with breasts, references to a "wonderful secret," a scripted imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein and what appeared to be Trump’s signature. 

(House Oversight Committee)

The Washington Post’s reporting contradicted Trump's statement that he "never wrote a picture." Reporters identified several drawings Trump made over the years, some of which were publicly auctioned. 

Now that the letter is public, the White House has focused on its signature.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted Sept. 8 on X, "It’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it." 

In a Sept. 9 press briefing, Leavitt said, "The president did not write this letter. He did not sign this letter."

Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich also posted versions of Trump’s signature on official documents as proof the letter’s signature was not Trump’s. But a New York Times comparison of his signature from other personal letters around the same period shows a remarkable similarity. 

Here are some examples, as reported by CNN: A signed donation letter to Rudy Giuliani in 1996, a 1999 thank you note to Larry King following his father’s death, and a 1995 letter to a Palm Beach resident that was auctioned for over $600.