‘May every day be a secret’: As Trump’s name appears on birthday note to Epstein, he threatens WSJ with lawsuit

What do we know about the album?

The letter attributed to Trump, reviewed by the Journal, features several lines of typewritten text within the outline of a naked woman, drawn in heavy marker.

The letter concludes: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday evening, Trump flatly denied any involvement with the letter or the drawing. “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. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”

He further claimed he would sue the Journal if the story were published. “I’m gonna sue The Wall Street Journal just like I sued everyone else,” he said.

According to the Journal, the album was a leather-bound volume prepared by New York bookbinder Herbert Weitz, who listed Epstein as a client on his website in 2003. Weitz died in 2020.

The collection includes letters and drawings from several of Epstein’s acquaintances. Wexner, the longtime head of Victoria’s Secret and Epstein’s former money manager, contributed a note that read, “I wanted to get you what you want… so here it is….” The message was followed by a drawing resembling a woman’s breasts. Wexner declined to comment through a spokesman, who reiterated that Wexner severed all ties with Epstein in 2007 and “never spoke with him again.”

Dershowitz’s contribution was a mock magazine cover titled Vanity Unfair, with headlines such as, “Who was Jack the Ripper? Was it Jeffrey Epstein?” and references to Bill Clinton. He told the Journal he did not recall what he may have written, saying, “It’s been a long time.”

One former assistant included an acrostic poem with Epstein’s name:

“Jeffrey, oh Jeffrey!/ Everyone loves you!/ Fun in the sun!/ Fun just for fun!/ Remember…don’t forget me soon!/ Epstein…you rock!/ You are the best!”

Trump and Epstein’s ties

Trump’s past relationship with Epstein — documented through photographs, public appearances, and remarks — has come under renewed scrutiny as the issue of Epstein’s connections with high-profile individuals continues to loom over the political discourse.

In 2019, after Epstein was arrested a second time on federal sex trafficking charges, the FBI confiscated evidence from his homes in the US Virgin Islands and New York. He died in jail later that year.

Earlier this week, following inquiries from the Journal about the birthday letter, Trump told reporters that some Epstein documents were “made up” by former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and by former FBI Director James Comey. He said the decision to release more files rested with Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release,” he said.

The contents of the Epstein files have become a lightning rod in Washington. In June 2024, during an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked whether he would release the full set of Epstein documents. He initially responded, “Yeah, I would,” but then voiced reservations, saying, “You don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there.”

Attorney General Bondi released the first set of files in February, but they offered few new details. Bondi blamed the FBI’s New York office for withholding key materials and promised additional releases following redactions to protect victims’ identities. “There will be no coverups, no missing documents and no stone left unturned,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

The controversy flared again in June when Elon Musk, amid a public feud with Trump, suggested on X that the FBI was hiding Epstein files implicating the President. “The truth will come out,” Musk wrote in a now-deleted post.

On July 7, however, the Justice Department said that after an “exhaustive review,” it found no “incriminating client list” or further documents warranting public release.

Congressional scrutiny

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have since called for Republican Chairman Jim Jordan to hold hearings on the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. They are also pushing for subpoenas to be issued to Bondi and Patel.

At a Cabinet meeting on July 8, Trump responded sharply to a reporter’s question about Epstein: “Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?” he said. “That is unbelievable. Do you want to waste the time?”