It’s sort of amazing that this Jeffrey Epstein issue is hurting Donald Trump so much with the cultists and wingnuts in his base. It’s become one of the few things everyone, of every political inclination, can agree on: Donald Trump is actively covering up his longtime association with Epstein, and the Trump administration’s FBI and DOJ are lying to protect Trump and Epstein’s other powerful allies. Ever since the FBI and DOJ closed the Epstein case/investigation, Trump has been on the ropes and lying his ass off. Well, this week, the Wall Street Journal informed Trump that they got their hands on a big exclusive: Trump contributed a “bawdy letter” and a drawing to Epstein’s 50th birthday book, a book compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, who organized and facilitated Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. Trump has been freaking out and threatening to sue the WSJ. The WSJ published it anyway:
It was Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday, and Ghislaine Maxwell was preparing a special gift to mark the occasion. She turned to Epstein’s family and friends. One of them was Donald Trump. Maxwell collected letters from Trump and dozens of Epstein’s other associates for a 2003 birthday album, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Pages from the leather-bound album—assembled before Epstein was first arrested in 2006—are among the documents examined by Justice Department officials who investigated Epstein and Maxwell years ago, according to people who have reviewed the pages. It’s unclear if any of the pages are part of the Trump administration’s recent review.
The president’s past relationship with Epstein is at a sensitive moment. The Justice Department documents, the so-called Epstein files, and who or what is in them are at the center of a storm consuming the Trump administration. On Wednesday, after angry comments about how the files are a hoax created by Democrats, President Trump lashed out at his own supporters for refusing to let the matter go.
The letter bearing Trump’s name, which was reviewed by the Journal, is bawdy—like others in the album. It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair. The letter concludes: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
In an interview with the Journal on Tuesday evening, Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the picture. “This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story,” he said. “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” he said. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.” He told the Journal he was preparing to file a lawsuit if it published an article. “I’m gonna sue The Wall Street Journal just like I sued everyone else,” he said.
It isn’t clear how the letter with Trump’s signature was prepared. Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person.
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note began.
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.
Yeah, the “bawdy letter” for Epstein’s birthday book sure sounds incriminating! In case you skipped over this part of WSJ’s reporting: “Pages from the leather-bound album—assembled before Epstein was first arrested in 2006—are among the documents examined by Justice Department officials who investigated Epstein and Maxwell years ago…” Meaning, this book was part of the material collected in the larger sweep of Epstein’s Florida estate in 2006. Few people talk about Epstein’s first arrest and just how much the FBI collected back then. It certainly feels like the FBI has been sitting on mountains of evidence which incriminates Trump and many other terrible old men. It’s so weird that the FBI didn’t have anything to release this year, right??
Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid.
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- New York, CA – Financier Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead on 10 August 2019 in his prison cell in New York while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Epstein, 66, had pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was being held without bail. Pictured: Jeffrey Epstein BACKGRID USA 10 AUGUST 2019 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DIST – United States President Donald J Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk out of the South Portico towards the Beast as they head to the opening night of “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Credit: Samuel Corum / Pool via CNP /MediaPunch Pictured: President Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 11 JUNE 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC U.S. President Donald Trump was seen walking alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One in Washington. The president is headed to Pennsylvania, where he is set to announce $70 billion in investments focused on artificial intelligence and energy as part of a broader push to accelerate technological development. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 15 JULY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC U.S. President Donald Trump was seen walking alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One in Washington. The president is headed to Pennsylvania, where he is set to announce $70 billion in investments focused on artificial intelligence and energy as part of a broader push to accelerate technological development. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 15 JULY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC U.S. President Donald Trump was seen walking alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One in Washington. The president is headed to Pennsylvania, where he is set to announce $70 billion in investments focused on artificial intelligence and energy as part of a broader push to accelerate technological development. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 15 JULY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
So if/when Trump sues the Wall St Journal, will this open the Epstein files up for discovery or..? Because I would assume the leaks would be pouring out if that happens.
I love how Vance is like “this is a hoax. Show us the letter!” Yeah, PAM, show us the letter! Like does he not understand that Trump’s personal lawyer (we don’t say DOJ anymore because she doesn’t work for The People, only for The King) has complete control over whether the letter and the files are released? Also, do we need to pull up the receipts of ALL of Dump’s doodles? This guy LOVES to make stupid child-like drawings.
Oh and for all the dumb MAGA folks who are insisting that if Trump was in the Epstein files it would have been released under Biden’s term, DO YOU KNOW WHO MERRICK GARLAND IS?!?!? There is literally NOTHING more believable than Garland sitting on a Trump bombshell for four years to “protect the independence of the judiciary” or whatever excuse he would use to defend an institution.
Trump is the Deep State. His supporters who voted for him to destroy the elites and to bring Democratic sex trafficking cabals to justice—welp, the calls are coming from inside the house, you absolute FOOLS.
One of my favorite responses to Vance’s, “does anyone really think [Trump] talks like this?” was a screenshot of the transcript from the Access Hollywood tape.
Seriously. He’s a convicted sexual abuser, he bragged about going into the dressing rooms of Miss USA pageant contestants, he has made repeatedly inappropriate sexual comments about young women–including his own daughter–for decades now, he dated 19 year old Gabriela Sabatini when he was 43 FFS.
It would be funny if it wasn’t so fucking sad to see how deluded Vance and Trump’s MAGA base are.
And TBH, Vance probably knows deep down that Trump is a vile perv, but he’s made a deal with the devil so he lives in his own personal hell now. He must defend The King at all cost. What a miserable existence.
Merrick Garland was following long standing DOJ rules about not interfering in ongoing investigations. This case was still open during the entire Biden administration. Many people do not know or understand that there were procedures in place before Trump arrived in his first term and blew down the wall between the White House and DOJ to prevent any political interference by the WH in Justice Department investigations. It’s not some flaw in Merrick Garland’s character that we never heard about this case during the Biden-Harris years. They returned us to the rule of law. Last November, the voters went back to the Wild West when they chose a president who considers himself the law. And for all those saying that Biden didn’t release these files because he was protecting Democrats, that’s not the reason. The Biden-Harris administration was hands off when it came to the inner workings of the DOJ. That’s as it should be!
Garland’s problem is bigger than that. Among other things, he’s something of a protege of Jamie Gorelick, the Kushner-Trump family consigliere.
I think trump should have been arrested on day one of Biden’s term and charged under The insurrection Act. The evidence was all there on video tape.
Merrick Garland’s issue is the same issue so many Dems have even now – they’re playing by the old rules and assuming that institutional norms still exist. What would have been the right thing to do 10-20 years ago is not the right thing now.
so yes, i can understand why he didnt release the epstein file – but I wonder what a difference it would have made if they had been released or if we had had a different AG for those four years.
Totally agree, Becks1.
The Dems are bringing niceties to a knife fight. I wish Eric Holder had been in charge. He would have adhered to the Constitution, while finding ways to kneecap Trump.
With hindsight, you’re both correct 💯! The Biden-Harris administration didn’t have that advantage. And, yes, Democrats now shouldn’t be worried about rules and norms.
I do sometimes find myself wishing that MVP Harris had been Attorney General instead of VP.
Unfortunately, the Democratic party needs to start coming to the fight as sharp as the GOP. something they dont seem to have a stomach for. this is how we got where we have.
the days of going high when they go low are LONG GONE.
The first Trump administration had the files sealed by court order so Garland couldn’t release them
I was just thinking this morning about how, at long last, we all have a shared narrative as a nation.
Let’s hope it sticks.
I’m surprised WSJ released that letter considering WSJ leans pro-Rupert Murdoch. Republicans demanding that the files be released but ALL OF THEM voting against it when the measure is brought to the floor tells you everything about the despicable GOP. The AG and FBI will tamper with the files and release a version that implicates any and every liberal/Democrat and hide anything to do with Trump.
You know how you’re dealing with the stupidest people on earth when it comes to MAGA? There are videos, articles, photos of Trump being besties with Epstein out there in the public sphere for years. You don’t need the files or list to know Trump is deeply mired in all of this. Yet when Trump calls bull on the Epstein files and that they don’t exist that’s when MAGA throw their hands up in the air and cry foul? Anyway, if these files/list are released, I don’t believe there will be any fallout for our depraved president. Nothing will happen to him.
The panicked Mad King now thinks he can take the heat off by ordering Bondi to release “pertinent” grand jury transcripts. That has to be approved by a judge because gj transcripts are secret. But, more importantly, that would amount to cherry picking what is released and is entirely meaningless since those transcripts only contain evidence pertaining to Epstein and Maxwell.
It’s an open question whether he can write a coherent sentence. If he can, then he’s hidden that talent well.
That is the one thing that gave me pause. I cannot imagine these words coming from Trump, although I’m guessing he had help with coming up with something for his bestie’s birthday book.
I’m not even daring to hope that any of this will mean any consequences for Trump.
It was written 2 decades ago, his speech patterns have changed
The question you need to ask yourself is knowing that Trump will inevitably sue the living shit out of the Wall St Journal for this, do you really think they would put this out there if they didn’t have a very VERY reliable source?
He was younger when the letter was written. Dementia has been setting in.
I would believe that he had someone write and type this up for him (just as he had ghostwriter(s) for “his” books) and allegedly has someone transcribe a lot of his tweets. It’s definitely got his flavour of weird. It made my skin crawl.
Trump calling anything a hoax really means it’s true.
Yep that’s his fall back excuse for anything he doesn’t like, from losing the election, to the pandemic to now this. Next he will claim he never knew Epstein and the pictures we’ve seen are fakes created by Hillary and the Deep State.
What gets me is that, per Kaiser’s point, a TON of docs were released when Jeffrey was arrested the first time. It’s all out there. The little black book was published in its entirety years ago and Donald had like 14 phone numbers in it. The flight logs with all passenger names are public info and DT is all over them. I’m baffled as to why THIS particular case was one Donny wanted to scream about exposing when he is literally a central player alongside JE.
Anyway, there is an interesting new story in the NYT about Sen. Ron Wyden. He’s on the Senate Finance Committee and he has been looking into the transactions related to Epstein for the last 3 years. His team has reams of evidence and names of the clients, the women and the banks that handled all of the payments for the trafficking ring.
Virginia guifre wasnt going to testify. The fbi or whatever org convinced her by telling her she was on multiple tapes in the bathroom. Epstein had videos of her crying in the bathroom. He kept everything.
Those tapes are what made me think this is more of a blackmail operation. Blackmailers dont throw anything away.
Please see also – THESE WOMEN WERE HARMED.
AND RIGHTFULLY COMPENSATED.
How do people not see this as enough evidence of his wrongdoing? Why a debate? Like – it blows my mind that anything else needs to be said. I read online somewhere – “We wouldn’t need the list if we believed women.”
This site has an excellent summary of the protocols and evaluations:
https://www.crimevictimlawfirm.com/epstein-victims-compensation-program/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/09/business/jeffrey-epstein-victims-fund.html
“The Jeffrey Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program was established to provide financial compensation to survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, without requiring them to go through the public court system. The program, administered by Jordana Feldman, was funded by Epstein’s estate and aimed to offer a confidential and efficient way for victims to seek redress. The program concluded after paying out approximately $121 million to 150 eligible claimants.”
I think trump was trying to blackmail him or at least get cut in.
Trump modeling and pageant business didnt turn into pimping. it turned into mismanaged clout chasing.
I think everyone needs to remember just how much of a “ pick me” Trump was back then. He didn’t have enough money or clout for j epstein. Trump was already a house of cards and didnt need the “tax services”.
Trump was one of the first to give a warning on epstein and he was the first to kick him out. I think he did that because he wasnt let in. Epstein lightly used him as a cover. Gave him some business by using Maralargo. Other than that trump was treated like a celebrity. Look at p andrew. I firmly believe p andrew was on actual payroll. Andrew was involved in real deals.
Are you talking about? Him and Epstein were thick as thieves, all over society pages for years. It’s rumored E introduced him to Melania. E has been quoted that he liked the Trump modeling/pageant business as a “great set up.”
If clout chasing T was trying to blackmail E, wouldn’t you think E had the connections to end that immediately? They fell out over a real estate deal in Palm beach. This is a wildly revisionist take.
And in addition to having multiple contacts for Trump, Epstein had multiple contacts for Ivanka
@Lightpurple: ew.
I think this is all part of a plan to cut Trump loose and install Vance as president. Trump’s served his purpose. He got the party back into the WH and Project 2025 is underway. But he’s old and the Republicans have to think about their future. It can’t be the Trump Party forever. Trump’s become too erratic and difficult to control. His approval rating is plummeting and he’s rapidly destroying the American economy. All of these grifters and sycophants who’ve bent the knee to him can see the writing is on the wall so they dgaf anymore and will continue to push this.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump does say bon voyage sooner rather than later. The way he’s been accumulating money from bribes and grifts makes it look like he’s planning to exit the scene. With a preemptive pardon from Shady V of course.
I think the Republicans want to boot Trump asap. They wanna get Vance in quickly so they have time to groom him to become party leader material by the time 2028 rolls around.
Exactly this. The rich got the tax cuts that they wanted. Now they can jettison Trump and have a much more malleable Vance installed. Tariffs are beginning to eat into corporate profits, so now that they have their tax cuts enshrined in law, they will cut Trump loose have Vance remove the tariffs. The trillions that they just stole will simply be added to the national debt.
They don’t want to promote Vance until after the midterms. Before the midterms, he can only run for 1 term of his own. After the midterms, he can run for 2 terms of his own, so 10 years total.
@ponchorella Yes, I think most of us were already predicting this since last year what would happen. And agree, re the tariffs-I also think it will be removed. That’s going to have a very negative effect on the U.S. economy. And no one esp big companies (many already worth trillions of dollars) do not want to lose their market value.
Here’s the thing, the WSJ is owned by NewsCorp, so good luck suing Rupert Murdoch. All Murdoch has to do is change the Fox News slant on reporting and the MAGAs will eventually all leave that cult. They know how to brainwash people really well. Obviously the editors feel confident about this letter or they would not risk it. It would be pretty amazing if Murdoch was the one who ultimately took the orange blob down. I’m not counting on it, but I actually see a path out this way.
Yes. He doesn’t have his very wealthy backers anymore to help him. And he himself doesn’t have the money that MAGAs think he does 🙄. It’s misinformation of data that won him the election. Once wealthy backers are done with him , it would be interesting to see whether his loyal cronies will still stay in his side.
I’d not heard about the Sabatini dating: but the invading beauty queens’ dressing rooms is even worse than if it were Miss USA. It was Miss Teen USA. 14-16 year olds I believe. ‘On the younger side’.
Praying that this will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and that the victims will get some measure of justice.
JD Vance asked for the letter to be produced. Trump didnt. This is a power move. The letter is real and they both know it. Also ” enigmas” is an anagram of gamines – young girls. These are two observations nicked and shared from comment section of pod save america.
Credit where its due. Trump’s toast. Which would be lovely were it not for his smokey eyed successor and his cabal.