The Wall Street Journal has reignited controversy with a newly published image it claims is a crude birthday letter Donald Trump once gave to Jeffrey Epstein. The paper says the image, allegedly from 2003, shows text over a sketch of a naked woman’s torso and bears Trump’s signature. It was reportedly turned over to Congress by Epstein’s estate.
The White House quickly pushed back. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the report as “fake news,” reminding the public that Trump has already filed a lawsuit against the Journal for its July story on the alleged letter.
“The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false,” Leavitt wrote on X. She insisted Trump neither drew the picture nor signed the letter. “President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”
She also slammed the Journal’s reporting tactics, pointing the finger at reporter Joe Palazzolo. “The ‘reporter’ … reached out for comment at the EXACT same minute he published his story giving us no time to respond,” Leavitt said. “This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!”
Other Trump officials joined in. Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich dismissed the supposed evidence, arguing the signature doesn’t match Trump’s real one. He predicted News Corp would pay “big” for defamation.
Vice President JD Vance also weighed in. “The Democrats don’t care about Epstein. They don’t even care about his victims,” he posted on X. “The only thing they care about is concocting another fake scandal like Russiagate to smear President Trump with lies. No one is falling for this BS.”
The July report from the Journal first floated the story of the letter, which Trump quickly denounced as phony. The president responded with a federal libel suit against Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two Journal reporters, accusing them of libel, assault, and slander.
Trump argued at the time that Murdoch himself knew the letter was fake. “The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly … that the supposed letter … was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that Murdoch promised to “take care of it” but ultimately failed.
As outlets like The Daily Wire have noted, Trump and Epstein were friendly in New York social circles years ago. But their ties ended in the mid-2000s, about a year before Epstein first faced allegations of sex crimes. Trump banned him from Mar-a-Lago and cut ties, and no evidence has surfaced linking Trump to Epstein’s criminal acts.