White House denies authenticity of alleged trump note to Jeffrey Epstein

The White House has dismissed as “fake” an alleged handwritten note from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein that surfaced in a trove of documents released by the U.S. House Oversight Committee.

The note, included in a “birthday book” compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003 by Ghislaine Maxwell, features a sketch of a woman’s body and a playful, cryptic exchange between Trump and Epstein, ending with: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret. Donald J. Trump.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted on Monday that “President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,” stressing that the signature does not match the president’s. Trump himself has long maintained the document is fabricated, previously calling it “a fake thing” and even suing the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion after the paper first reported its existence in July.

The birthday book was among hundreds of pages released, including Epstein’s will, his personal address book listing celebrities, royals, and politicians, and a controversial 2007 non-prosecution agreement. Contributions in the scrapbook came from global figures, including former UK minister Lord Peter Mandelson, who once referred to Epstein as his “best pal.”

Democrats on the Oversight Committee argue the release proves Trump lied about the note’s existence. Ranking member Robert Garcia said: “Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth.”

Republican Chairman James Comer countered, accusing Democrats of politicizing the files: “Oversight Committee Republicans are focused on transparency and accountability for Epstein’s victims, not cherry-picking documents.”

Trump and Epstein were known to be friendly in the 1990s, before falling out in the early 2000s. Epstein, who was first indicted in 2006 for solicitation of prostitution, died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The resurfacing of the alleged note adds another layer of scrutiny to Trump, who is facing growing pressure from both opponents and some within his own party to be more transparent about what he knew of Epstein’s activities.