President Donald Trump has addressed claims of sending Jeffrey Epstein a provocative birthday card after Democrats shared images of the supposed illustration.
Trump refrained from discussing the matter directly, telling NBC News over a phone call this morning: ‘I don’t comment on what I consider a dead issue. I’ve left all remarks to the staff. This is a dead issue.’
Trump had earlier labeled the birthday card as ‘fake’ and initiated a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, the first outlet to report on the card.
The purported note, supposedly part of a birthday scrapbook for the disgraced financier, ends with: ‘may every day be another wonderful secret’.
A photo of the suggestive card—featuring a drawing of a shapely woman and what seems to be Trump’s signature—was submitted to Congress by representatives of the late financier as a segment of the investigation into his offenses.
Democrats on the Oversight Committee then released the sketch on Monday, reigniting a controversy that has dogged the White House in recent months.
On Monday, another picture emerged from the well-known birthday book, showing Epstein holding an oversized check beside a handwritten note joking about Trump offering a woman to him.
Trump, who has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago, has decried the continued focus on the Epstein files as a ‘Democrat hoax,’ despite bipartisan concern about a government cover-up.
President Donald Trump (pictured Sunday) has responded to accusations that he sent Jeffrey Epstein a lewd birthday card, calling it a ‘dead issue’
President Donald Trump is under fire once again after a lewd birthday letter bearing his signature was released by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate
The famed birthday book is reportedly a compilation of messages collected by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday.
Trump’s alleged note consists of a short dialogue between ‘Donald’ and ‘Jeffrey’.
‘We have certain things in common,’ says Donald, to which Jeffrey responds: ‘Yes, we do, come to think of it.’
‘Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?’ asks Donald.
‘As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you,’ says Jeffrey.
‘A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,’ the note ends, followed by what appears to be Trump’s signature.
Another letter in the book also mentions Trump above a photo of Epstein holding an oversized $22,500 check. The signature on the check says ‘DJ Trump’ but is very different from Trump’s normal writing.
‘Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [redacted name] to Donald Trump,’ reads the note.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the letter, from businessman Joel Pashcow, referenced a woman who was courted by both Trump and Epstein in the 1990s.
The woman, whose name was redacted, said she had no prior knowledge of the letter and her lawyer told WSJ it was a ‘disgusting and deeply disturbing hoax.’ Pashcow has yet to comment.
Jeffrey Epstein and Trump pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 1997
Later Monday, another photo emerged from the birthday book showing Epstein holding an oversized check alongside a note joking about Trump selling a woman to him
Democrats on the panel published the copy of the Trump letter before the entire book was released, prompting accusations from Republican chairman James Comer of ‘cherry-picking documents and politicizing information’.
The White House reiterated its denial of the authenticity of the letter, with his aides being quick to threaten lawsuits over the allegations.
‘The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal proves this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false,’ Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X. ‘As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.
‘President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,’ her statement continued, lambasting the reporter for publishing ‘fake news’ about the ‘Democrat Epstein Hoax!’
Trump suggests that the Democrats are the ones with the most to lose with the release of the files. The president has also complained that the Democrats did not release the documents while Joe Biden was in office.
But Rep. Robert Garcia, the Oversight Committee’s Democratic ranking member, has now hit out at the president, alleging he is ‘lying’.
In a statement to The Wall Street Journal on Monday, Garcia said: ‘President Trump called the Epstein investigation a hoax and claimed that his birthday note didn’t exist.
‘Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth. Enough of the games and lies, release the full files now.’
Trump, his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss (now Trump), Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida on February 12, 2000
Trump and Epstein shown together in conversation. The president has tried to downplay his prior relationship with the late financier since his crimes emerged
Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s crimes, reportedly asked her longtime boyfriend’s friends for ‘drawings, photos, or stories’ to mark his 50th birthday.
She collected and scanned the materials and bound them into an album she gave to Epstein for his birthday in 2003.
Many big names wrote messages to Epstein for his birthday, according to multiple reporters who have allegedly viewed the binder.
Reports also indicate that the book contained a handwritten note from former President Bill Clinton, who had a social and professional relationship with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s.
Attorney General Pam Bondi 33,000 pages of documents handed to the House Oversight Committee last month that were reviewed and released by the panel chaired by Rep. James Comer, R-KY, on September 2, 2025.
But Democrats claim that only 3 percent of the documents they received included new information that was not already made public by Bondi’s DOJ.
As part of its response to the controversy, the Justice Department interviewed Maxwell.
Her interview was conducted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer.
The famed birthday book is reportedly a compilation of messages collected by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured with the financier) for his 50th birthday
The Justice Department later released a transcript and audio recording of the interview, in which Maxwell says Trump was friendly with Epstein but was ‘never inappropriate with anybody’.
Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, was moved from a prison in Florida to a minimum security facility in Texas following the interview with Blanche.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
