Donald Trump contributed a suggestive entry in a leather-bound compilation of birthday messages for then-50-year-old “pal” Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, writing that “We have certain things in common” and “May every day be a new wonderful secret,” though the president told the paper in an interview that it wasn’t him, “this is a fake thing,” and threatened to sue.
The entry bears Trump’s name, in several lines of typewritten text framed by the hand-drawn outline of what appears to be a naked woman. The Journal, which says it reviewed the entry first-hand, describes Trump’s signature as a “squiggly” mark below her waist “mimicking pubic hair.”
The Journal reported that Ghislaine Maxwell prepared the gift, which also included entries from dozens of other Epstein associates, including billionaire fashion-brand founder Leslie Wexner – whose finances Epstein managed at the time – and attorney Alan Dershowitz, who represented Epstein after his first arrest. Wexner declined to comment to the Journal and Dershowitz said he didn’t recall what he may have written; both said they severed ties with Epstein when the extent of his crimes became public.
The book was among the documents examined by Justice Department officials before Epstein’s 2006 arrest for trafficking and other crimes, the Journal reported, citing people who have reviewed the pages. It was not immediately clear whether they were included among review by the Trump administration, whose dismissal of the matter has roiled his base and caused many supporters to defect from MAGA support.
The purported Trump entry is a third-person fictional conversation between him and Epstein. It begins “Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything.” It continues:
Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
Trump and Epstein’s friendship, mutual admiration and socializing was well documented before both acknowledged a falling-out sometime before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution, served jail time in Florida and registered as a sex offender. Epstein was subsequently banned from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
The Journal said it interviewed Trump on Thursday, in which he denied writing the letter or drawing any picture. “This is not me,” he said. “This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story. I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”
Trump told the Rupert Murdoch-owned Journal he would file a lawsuit if it published the article, “just like I sued everyone else.”
Trump lashed out at his own supporters on Wednesday for keeping the Epstein matter in the headlines, days after saying the “Epstein files” are a hoax created by Democrats.
