President Donald Trump threatened to sue the Wall Street Journal over a story it published Thursday saying he sent a letter to the late disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein’s 50th birthday.
The Context
The letter bearing Trump’s name, reviewed by the Journal, is dated 2003 and is said to feature several lines of typewritten text surrounded by the outline of a naked woman, sketched in marker.
The illustration also includes two small arcs representing breasts, with Trump’s signature written below the waist and resembling pubic hair, the report said.
The letter reportedly concludes: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
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What To Know
The president told the Journal in a Tuesday interview: “This is not me. 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.”
He also said he would file a lawsuit against the newspaper, which is owned by the conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch, if it published the story:
“I’m gonna sue The Wall Street Journal just like I sued everyone else,” he said, according to the newspaper.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Thursday evening for comment.
The Journal also reported that Trump’s letter to Epstein featured an outline of a fictional conversation between the two men.
“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,” it continued, according to the paper. “Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.”
“Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” the letter said. “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,” the letter reportedly says.
“Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the imaginary conversation detailed in Trump’s letter to Epstein concluded.
Thursday’s report from the Journal comes as the Trump administration continues grappling with the fallout from its conclusion last week that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in his Manhattan jail cell and that the government is not in possession of a list of Epstein’s “clients.”
The conclusion, released in a two-page memo from Trump’s Department of Justice, threw a wrench into years of conspiracy theories from the president’s MAGA base—some of which were amplified by Trump administration officials—suggesting that Epstein was murdered and that the government was covering up his client list.
Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from Epstein, calling him a “creep” earlier this month when he was asked about the DOJ’s conclusion and saying his base should move on from Epstein, despite the fact that Trump’s allies, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, spent months suggesting they would release a trove of incriminating documents tying Epstein, a convicted pedophile, to wealthy and powerful figures.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
