President Donald Trump is facing fresh scrutiny over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein as The Wall Street Journal prepares to publish an exposé including what appears to be a suggestive 2003 birthday letter from Trump to the late financier. The White House has made attempts to halt the publication, and Trump has vowed to sue the Journal, calling the story "a FAKE."
The article reportedly includes a letter contributed by Trump to a birthday album for Epstein, featuring typewritten text framed by a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman and ending with the message: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret." The Journal states the signature-"Donald"-was placed below the drawing's waistline.
Trump contacted the Journal's editor-in-chief Emma Tucker ahead of publication and denied authorship of the letter. "This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story," he told the outlet. After the article was published Thursday afternoon, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. Murdoch, shortly."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt backed Trump's claim, asserting that both she and the president informed Tucker that the letter was fabricated. Trump also alleged Rupert Murdoch, the chairman emeritus of NewsCorp, had promised to "take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so."
The Journal exposé comes amid intensifying public pressure over the administration's handling of Epstein-related documents. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently declined to release the full trove of files, fueling backlash from former Trump allies including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and Roseanne Barr.
On Wednesday, Trump dismissed the Epstein controversy as a "hoax" manufactured by Democrats. "Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker," he wrote on Truth Social. "Let's not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about."
The Wall Street Journal piece reportedly adds new detail to Trump's relationship with Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 under circumstances officially ruled a suicide. Epstein's ties to powerful figures including Trump and Bill Clinton have long been the subject of public speculation. The new story revives those associations just as Trump navigates a divided MAGA base and mounting legal challenges.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk weighed in on the controversy, referencing Trump's alleged seven flights on Epstein's jet, dubbed the "Lolita Express." Musk asked on X, "Why was the plane called the Lolita Express? How old was Lolita in Nabokov's book?" He added: "Research (thoroughly) to find the complete lists of who else was on the plane during Trump's 7 flights?"
Despite calls from conservative influencers and podcast hosts such as Megyn Kelly and Theo Von for greater transparency, the White House has rejected calls to appoint a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. "The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels," Leavitt stated.
The Department of Justice last week fired Maurene Comey, the top prosecutor in the Epstein case, further stoking suspicions. However, a DOJ and FBI memo released Friday stated that investigators had found "no credible evidence" of an Epstein client list or blackmail scheme. "We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties," the memo concluded.
