On September 8, 2025, a political firestorm erupted in Washington after The Wall Street Journal published an image of a lewd 50th birthday letter allegedly sent by President Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The letter, which was delivered to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by lawyers for Epstein’s estate, has quickly become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the late financier’s shadowy connections and the lingering questions about his relationship with powerful figures.
The letter itself is as provocative as the controversy it has sparked. It features the outline of a naked woman and a handwritten message: “Happy Birthday ― and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The note closes with a scribbled signature that, to many eyes, closely resembles Trump’s distinctive autograph. But is it really his?
Almost immediately after the letter’s release, the White House went into damage-control mode. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the story as a politically motivated smear campaign, insisting, “It’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.” Her statement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), was soon echoed by Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, who threatened legal action against The Wall Street Journal’s parent company. “Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!” Budowich declared on social media, signaling a willingness to escalate the matter into the courts.
President Trump himself remained steadfast in his denial, telling NBC News on September 8, “I don’t comment on something that’s a dead issue. I gave all comments to the staff. It’s a dead issue.” For Trump, the aim is clear: draw a line under the controversy and urge supporters to move on from the latest Epstein-related revelation.
Yet, the effort to dismiss the letter as a forgery has only fueled more speculation. Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican known for his penchant for conspiracy theories, floated a surprising theory on CNN: that Trump’s signature on the letter might have been forged using an autopen, a device that replicates signatures mechanically. “I mean, anybody can do a signature. We’ve seen autopens they used quite a bit in the Biden administration. I’ve never known Trump to be much of an artist either, so I kind of draw that into question,” Burchett told CNN’s Manu Raju. He went on to express skepticism about the timing of the letter’s release, observing, “The thing is, it’s been there for four years and now it’s just come out. I just don’t buy it.”
Burchett’s comments are notable not just for their content, but for the context. He has a history of promoting fringe theories, including introducing a bill opposing weather modification. His reference to the autopen also taps into a broader narrative that some Republicans have pushed in recent years, suggesting that staffers in the Biden administration have used autopens to sign documents and, in their view, undermine the legitimacy of official actions. Trump himself has claimed that he never uses an autopen—except, as he later admitted, “only for very unimportant papers.”
While the White House and some Republicans have sought to discredit the letter, others have taken a different tack. Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, a longtime critic of her uncle, weighed in on social media with a blunt assessment: “That’s definitely his signature. Just saying,” she wrote on X, directly contradicting the White House’s denials and adding fuel to the fire.
The controversy has quickly spilled over into Congress, where Democrats on the House Oversight Committee seized on the release of the letter to demand more transparency about Trump’s relationship with Epstein. Representative Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, issued a statement calling for the full disclosure of all Epstein-related files. “It’s time for the President to tell us the truth about what he knew and release all the Epstein files. The American people are demanding answers,” Garcia said, according to Salon.
Interestingly, not all Republicans are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump on the issue. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky accused GOP leadership of “covering up for pedophiles,” arguing that his colleagues were “terrified of President Trump’s political machine” and thus unwilling to support resolutions seeking further disclosures about Epstein. Massie’s comments, made in a conversation with conservative activist James O’Keefe, highlight the fissures within the Republican Party as it grapples with the fallout from the Epstein saga.
The renewed focus on Trump’s ties to Epstein comes after a summer in which their relationship has repeatedly resurfaced in the media. Trump, for his part, has tried to distance himself from the controversy, urging supporters and the press to leave the matter in the past. However, the release of the birthday letter and the subsequent public debate have made it clear that the issue is far from settled, at least in the eyes of Trump’s critics and some members of his own party.
The question of the letter’s authenticity remains at the center of the storm. On one side, Trump’s defenders argue that the timing of the letter’s release and the circumstances surrounding it are suspicious, suggesting a coordinated attempt to damage the president politically. On the other, critics point to the handwriting and the signature as compelling evidence of Trump’s involvement, with Mary Trump’s unequivocal statement adding further weight to their case.
Meanwhile, the American public is left to sift through a swirl of claims, counterclaims, and conspiracy theories. The letter, with its crude drawing and suggestive message, is now part of the ever-expanding archive of Epstein-related documents that continue to cast a long shadow over Washington. Calls for transparency are growing louder, with both Democrats and some Republicans demanding that all Epstein files be made public so that the full extent of his connections can be understood.
As the White House scrambles to contain the fallout and Congress debates the next steps, one thing is certain: the story of Trump, Epstein, and the mysterious birthday letter is not going away anytime soon. Whether the letter proves to be a damning piece of evidence or just another twist in a saga marked by intrigue and controversy, it has once again thrust the Epstein scandal—and Trump’s role in it—into the national spotlight.
For now, the nation waits for answers, as the battle over truth, transparency, and political accountability rages on in the halls of power.
