In a saga that refuses to fade from public view, the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous 50th birthday album and a trove of his personal emails has reignited scrutiny over the late financier’s ties to high-profile figures—including former President Donald Trump. The latest developments, unfolding in September 2025, have not only fueled renewed political controversy in Washington but also raised challenging legal and reputational questions for those caught in Epstein’s orbit.
On July 18, 2025, Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, alleging that the newspaper’s report about his alleged contribution to a 2003 birthday collection for Epstein was both false and damaging. Trump’s complaint, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, argued that the Journal’s story resulted in “overwhelming financial and reputational damages” that could reach the billions—though the lawsuit stops short of explaining how such harm occurred or providing concrete evidence for these claims. According to Reason.com, the complaint specifically attacked the Journal for failing to provide or authenticate the birthday letter in question, calling the document “a fake” and accusing the paper of deliberate defamation.
Yet, just weeks after the suit was filed, the House Oversight Committee released a copy of that very letter, along with a redacted version of the three-volume birthday album, obtained via subpoena from Epstein’s estate. The committee’s move, as reported by Business Insider and Reason.com, made public a 238-page compendium of cheerful, often risqué messages from Epstein’s wide circle of associates. The album provides a vivid snapshot of Epstein’s world—a world populated by the likes of former President Bill Clinton, billionaire Leslie Wexner, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, and, most notably, Donald Trump.
Trump’s alleged note in the album is both bizarre and provocative: a typewritten message inserted into the sketched outline of a nude woman, with a first-name signature that, according to the Journal, mimics pubic hair. The note reads, “May every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump and his allies have vigorously denied the authenticity of both the letter and the signature. Taylor Budowich, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for communications, posted samples of Trump’s signature on social media, declaring, “It’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the denial, insisting, “As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.”
Still, the resemblance between the signature in the birthday album and Trump’s known first-name signatures from correspondence spanning 1987 to 2001 has been noted by The New York Times. While Trump typically reserves his first-name signature for personal notes, the Times found similar signatures in letters to Rudy Giuliani and other New York officials, lending some credibility to the Journal’s report. Whether this evidence is enough to sway a jury remains to be seen, but legal experts have pointed out a more fundamental challenge for Trump’s lawsuit: proving that the Journal’s reporting was not only false but also defamatory in a way that caused real reputational harm. As media attorney Damon Dunn remarked to Business Insider, “Is it defamatory that one millionaire sent a birthday card to another in 2003 before Epstein was discovered?”
Trump’s longstanding connection to Epstein is hardly a secret. He has publicly acknowledged a 15-year friendship with Epstein, which included trips on Epstein’s private jet and appearances together at social events. In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, Trump described Epstein as “a terrific guy” who was “a lot of fun to be with,” adding, “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.” Trump has always maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s illegal activities and that their friendship ended after a falling out around 2004.
The birthday album, now public, has proven to be a political minefield far beyond Trump. The collection includes contributions from a bevy of prominent figures, each note painting a picture of Epstein’s world before his crimes became widely known. British ambassador Peter Mandelson, for example, was forced out of his post after British media published emails showing his support for Epstein following the latter’s 2008 conviction. Mandelson’s 10-page album entry, replete with photos from Epstein’s Caribbean island and references to “interesting” friends, was the last straw for his diplomatic career.
Other entries are equally revealing—and sometimes unsettling. A poem from wealthy art collector Stuart Pivar jokes that Epstein was “up to no good” but had so far “avoided the penitentiary.” Harvard economist Henry Rosovsky’s note, “For the man who has almost everything, but never enough of these!” is accompanied by painted prints of breasts. There are also references to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate and now a convicted sex trafficker, and French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel, who died by suicide in prison after facing rape charges. Former President Bill Clinton’s note praises Epstein’s “childlike curiosity.”
But the focus remains on Trump, whose alleged note is not the only reference to him in the album. Another page includes a message from businessman Joel Paschow referencing Epstein selling a “fully depreciated” individual to Trump, alongside a photograph of Epstein holding an oversized check marked “DJ Trump.” The surrounding pages are peppered with sketches alluding to Epstein’s grooming of underage girls, including a disturbing cartoon of little girls with balloons and topless women massaging Epstein.
Meanwhile, a new report from Bloomberg News has added fuel to the fire. On September 11, 2025, Bloomberg revealed it had obtained two decades’ worth of Epstein’s personal Yahoo emails, spanning from 2002 to 2022. While the emails have not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, they reportedly shed light on Epstein’s relationships with Ghislaine Maxwell and other powerful figures. Among the correspondence are more than 200 emails from 2008, the year Epstein went to prison, reflecting his close partnership with Maxwell. Some emails reference Trump directly, including one in which Epstein instructs Maxwell to remove Trump’s name from a list of over 50 politicians and business leaders—though the purpose of the list remains unknown. Another 2007 email from Maxwell to Epstein mentions Trump among people who might be approached, possibly in connection with a team of reporters.
The White House has dismissed the Bloomberg revelations as “just more stupid, fake news playing into the hands of the Democrat Hoax trying to link President Trump and Epstein.” Trump himself has called the entire saga a “Democratic hoax,” even as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives continues its own investigation. The ongoing release of documents and emails, coupled with the public’s enduring fascination with Epstein’s world, ensures the controversy will not be easily put to rest.
As the legal battle over the Journal’s reporting unfolds and new details emerge from Epstein’s digital archives, the intersection of politics, scandal, and the enduring mysteries of Epstein’s connections continues to grip the nation’s attention. For Trump and others who once moved freely in Epstein’s circle, the past is proving difficult to escape.
