The White House is pushing back hard after House Democrats released the contents of a 50th birthday book linked to Jeffrey Epstein that included a sexually suggestive letter and drawing allegedly signed by President Donald Trump.
At her press briefing on Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president had nothing to do with the letter and would even be open to using handwriting experts to prove it. “Sure, we would support that,” Leavitt told reporters.
“In fact, I have already seen many forensic analysts—I believe it was The Daily Signal that published a piece with three separate analysts who said this was absolutely not the president’s signature, and we have maintained that position all along. The president did not write this letter; he did not sign this letter.”
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The controversy erupted last July when the Wall Street Journal first reported on the alleged gift, which included typed text framed by the outline of a naked woman. The message, purportedly from Trump, read, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? … Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump immediately denied it and hit back with a massive $10 billion libel lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones & Co., and the two Journal reporters who broke the story. At the time, Trump fumed on social media: “I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper. That will be an interesting experience!!!”
The uproar reignited this week after House Democrats on the Oversight Committee published the full contents of the birthday book. The compilation, put together by Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, was filled with personal letters and notes from famous friends.
Observers have pointed out that the alleged Trump letter bears a resemblance to other handwritten notes he has produced. One example is a 1999 thank you to Larry King where Trump crossed out “Sincerely” and replaced it with “Love, Donald” in bold marker. Another is a 2000 letter to Tony Bennett that carried a similar signature style and handwritten addition.
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Even so, the White House is adamant the Epstein letter is not authentic. Leavitt said the renewed focus on it is nothing more than politics. “Why are the Democrats suddenly caring about this?” she asked. “Because they’re desperately trying to concoct a hoax to smear the president of the United States. We have seen this time and time again. They could have cared about this four years ago, when Joe Biden was in office. They could have pushed for transparency then. The Democrats are using victims as political pawns to try to smear the president of the United States.”
Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal remains active, and Leavitt stressed that he plans to pursue it while continuing to deny any link to Epstein’s birthday gift.