President Donald Trump on Thursday denied writing a letter to Jeffrey Epstein more than two decades ago that reportedly included an outline of a naked woman and a “Donald” signature.
The denial came in response to a Wall Street Journal article that said Trump was among dozens of Epstein’s associates enlisted by his then-confidant Ghislaine Maxwell to contribute to a collection of letters she planned to give him in a birthday album.
According to documents reviewed by the Journal, Trump’s letter featured several lines of typewritten text framed by what appeared to be a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman. The outline, according to the Journal, included details meant to depict the woman’s breast. Trump’s signature was drawn across the woman’s waist, meant to mimic the appearance of pubic hair.
NBC News has not independently verified or seen the letter.
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In a phone interview with the Journal, Trump denied writing the letter to Epstein or drawing the accompanying picture. He called the reporting “a fake thing” and said he would sue the newspaper if it printed the story.
“I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” Trump told the newspaper. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”
Trump later confirmed his plans to seek legal action against the Journal; its parent company, News Corp.; and Rupert Murdoch, the organization’s head, for publishing what he called a “defamatory” story.
“The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued. Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Dow Jones, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, declined to comment on Trump’s social media posts.
Vice President JD Vance called the Journal’s reporting “complete and utter bulls—” on X and questioned the veracity of the letter it claims Trump wrote.
“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?” he wrote.
The Journal, citing people who have reviewed pages from the birthday album, said some of the pages were among the documents the Justice Department reviewed during its investigations of Epstein and Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. However, it is unclear whether pages from the album were included in the Trump administration’s most recent review of the case.
Arthur Aidala, an attorney for Maxwell, declined to comment on the Journal’s story.
In a separate Truth Social post Thursday night, Trump said he has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to “produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony” related to Epstein, “subject to Court approval.”
Bondi responded on social media saying, “President Trump—we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
Reached for comment, the Justice Department pointed to Bondi’s post. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Epstein was arrested in 2006 and charged with four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and lewd and lascivious molestation. He was indicted in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 after he was charged with one count of sex trafficking and another count of sex trafficking conspiracy. He was accused of seeking out minors for sex, some as young as 14. He faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted on the charges, which he pleaded not guilty to.
For years, far-right provocateurs, including FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, have promoted the notion that the Epstein case was part of a government cover-up to protect powerful political players and business elites involved in a child abuse ring.
Trump’s denial comes amid a rare splintering of his base over a Justice Department memo outlining a decision to no longer disclose new information related to the federal investigation into Epstein and denying the existence of a purported “client list” of people who benefited from his crimes.
As the backlash intensified this week, Trump on chided his “past supporters” Wednesday for buying into what he characterized as the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”
“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore,” he wrote.