NEW YORK (PNN) - July 18, 2025 - According to the Wall Street Journal, President Donald J. Trump sent notorious sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein a bawdy birthday letter with a drawing of a naked woman, an acknowledgement that the two "have certain things in common," and a wish for "every day [to] be another wonderful secret." The Wall Street Journal reported this on Thursday evening, citing unidentified "documents" that unnamed “reporters” had supposedly reviewed.
Later Thursday evening, President Trump announced that he had directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the release of grand jury testimony from Jeffrey Epstein's prosecution, in response to the "ridiculous amount of publicity" the case is receiving.
President Trump denies he had anything to do with the letter. “This is not me. This is a fake thing. It is a fake WSJ story," Trump told the WSJ in a Tuesday-evening interview. "I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It is not my language. It is not my words.” He vowed to take the newspaper to court if it published the story. “I am gonna sue the Wall Street Journal just like I sued everyone else."
Even if the letter is authentic, it is far from conclusive that President Trump's imagery and celebration of "secrets" referred to illegal conduct with underage females. Nonetheless, the story compounds the sustained controversy over the president's declarations that the FBI's "Epstein files" are a Democrat hoax, and his coalition-splitting characterization that conservatives who are pressing for the release of more Epstein documents are “weaklings” who “haven’t learned their lesson.”
The WSJ said it "reviewed" the letter but did not publish an image of it. According to the report, the letter was one of many contained in a leather-bound book compiled in 2003 by since-convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. The book was a gift to celebrate Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday. Others who submitted letters include billionaire Leslie Wexner and attorney Alan Dershowitz.
In a 2002 interview with a New York magazine, President Trump acknowledged Epstein's affinity for younger women. “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He is a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
After the story was published, President Trump lashed out via Truth Social, calling the WSJ a "disgusting and filthy rag" for publishing a "false, malicious and defamatory" story. President Trump wrote that he had contacted WSJ owner Rubert Murdoch, who "stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so." President Trump also argued that, if there were any truth to suggestions that he was guilty of criminal sexual conduct facilitated by Epstein, "Radical Left Lunatics" like Hillary Clinton, former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director James Comey wouldn't have sat on it through three elections.
Vice President JD Vance issued his own attack on the WSJ, noting that the “letter” doesn't sound like President Trump.
"Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?" asked Vice President Vance.
Also following the WSJ's posting of the story, President Trump announced he had directed AG Bondi to "produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony" related to the Epstein case, while reiterating that people demanding information about who had indulged in Epstein's stable of underage girls were falling for a "scam perpetuated by the Democrats."
According to President Trump, his friendship with Epstein ended sometime around 2004, after mutual acrimony arose from a bidding war between the two for a Palm Beach property - a war Trump won. In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of procuring a minor for prostitution but was controversially allowed to enter a non-prosecution agreement that spared him and others from federal charges. After Epstein's far more consequential arrest in 2019, Trump recalled, "I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”