House Democrats on Monday released portions of Jeffrey Epstein's so-called "birthday book," including a letter and other documents purportedly linking President Donald Trump to the disgraced financier. The White House and prominent Trump allies quickly rejected the materials, claiming the president's alleged signature and other references were forgeries.
The 238-page book, compiled in 2003 by Ghislaine Maxwell as a gift for Epstein's 50th birthday, includes photographs, jokes, and personal notes from acquaintances. Among them is a page featuring a crude sketch of a nude woman alongside a message allegedly from Trump calling Epstein a "pal" and wishing him that "every day be another wonderful secret." A signature, appearing as "Donald," is placed in an area designed to resemble female anatomy.
Trump has forcefully denied writing the note or signing the page. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated 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 ... This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!"
MAGA-aligned commentators also rejected the documents. "Does the below from the WSJ look like this actual signature from the President? I don't think so at all. Fake," activist Charlie Kirk posted on X. Podcaster Benny Johnson added, "Is this really the best they could do? Trump has the most famous signature in the world. Time to sue them into oblivion."
The birthday book also contains a photo of Epstein holding a novelty check made out to "DJTRUMP" for $22,500, accompanied by a handwritten note suggesting the financier had "sold" a "fully depreciated" woman to Trump. The New York Times identified the handwriting as appearing to belong to former New York real estate executive Joel Pashcow. The note read, "Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells 'fully depreciated' [name redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500." Pashcow did not respond to requests for comment.
Epstein's estate, which turned over the documents to the House Oversight Committee, said names and images of women and minors were redacted to avoid identifying potential victims. The White House maintained that the photo and note do not implicate Trump, emphasizing he has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection to Epstein.
Democrats seized on the release to criticize Trump. Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin called the documents "sickening," while the Oversight Committee's Democratic account on X said, "Epstein and a longtime Mar-a-Lago member joking about selling a 'fully depreciated' woman to Donald Trump for $22,500."
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the book's existence in July, sparking Trump's defamation lawsuit against its parent company, News Corp. The Journal and The New York Times later noted that the "Donald" signature style in the book matched several examples of Trump's personal notes from the 1990s and early 2000s.
Still, Vice President JD Vance echoed MAGA activists in dismissing the controversy. "The Democrats don't care about Epstein. They don't even care about his victims. The only thing they care about is concocting another fake scandal like Russiagate to smear President Trump with lies," Vance said.
