Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee on Monday night released a sketch of a nude woman that they claim President Donald Trump sent more than 20 years ago to Jeffrey Epstein as part of a "birthday book" given to the financier.
Trump has vehemently denied sending the drawing, which was accompanied by a greeting that allegedly wished Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019, that “May every day be another wonderful secret.” The text sits within a crude sketch of the silhouette of a naked woman.
The president has already filed a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the sketch and greeting two months ago but did not publish the image itself.
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Birthday greeting in a drawing of a naked woman that US President Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003
Democrats made the provocative illustration public as part of their push to force Trump to release more files related to the Epstein case. Trump has dismissed the renewed focus on the scandal as a political “hoax” designed to embarrass him because of his past ties with Epstein, which he says he severed years before Epstein’s first sex crime conviction.
"HERE IT IS: We got Trump’s birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said doesn’t exist,” read a post on X from the Democrats’ committee account. “Trump talks about a “wonderful secret” the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files!"
The drawing shows the basic outline of a nude woman, with wavy lines on each side and concave arcs marking her breasts. At the bottom, where pubic hair would be, appears Trump’s signature.
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Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 1997
(Photo:: Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images)
Between the curved outlines of the woman’s body is a fictional dialogue written like a script, presented as a conversation between Trump and Epstein:
Voice Over: “There has to be more to life than getting everything.”
Donald: “Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is.”
Jeffrey: “Nor will I, since I also know what it is.”
Donald: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.”
Jeffrey: “Yes we do, come to think of it.”
Donald: “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?”
Jeffrey: “Actually, that was clear to me the last time I saw you.”
Donald: “A friend is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday, and may every day be a wonderful new secret.”
The Wall Street Journal reported in July that the drawing was included in a 2003 album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in his abuse of underage girls.
Trump blasted the revelations, calling the letter “fake” and a “malicious smear.”
“These are not my words. This is not how I speak. I also don’t draw pictures,” Trump said. He has sued the Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, for $10 billion.
Epstein, a Jewish-American financier, was first convicted in 2008 of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. Under a lenient plea deal, he served about one year in jail under relaxed conditions that allowed him daily work release. He was arrested again in 2019 on charges of trafficking dozens of underage girls. Prosecutors said he operated with associates to ensure a “steady supply of underage victims.” He was found hanging in his jail cell in New York a month later, in what officials ruled a suicide.
Epstein’s connections with powerful figures — including Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew and Trump — fueled numerous conspiracy theories, especially among Trump’s MAGA supporters, who insist Epstein kept a “client list” that could implicate elites in his sex crimes.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that such a “list” was on her desk under review, but in July she abruptly backtracked, saying no such list exists and that she had meant “investigative documents” more generally.
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Press conference by Epstein victims outside the US Capitol
(Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP)
The administration initially resisted releasing new files, but Trump faced unexpected backlash from his own allies demanding more transparency. Though Trump repeatedly called the controversy a Democratic “hoax,” he later shifted course and said he would allow the release of “reliable” materials — amid reports that his name appears in the files, though without necessarily implying wrongdoing.
Last week, the Republican-led Oversight Committee published 33,000 pages of investigative documents and several videos, but most of the material had already been released in the past. The investigation is believed to include about 100,000 pages in total.
Democrats dismissed the move as “lip service” meant to quiet internal dissent in Trump’s camp, accusing GOP leaders of having no real intention to release confidential core files. Trump, meanwhile, said the latest batch should satisfy those calling for transparency, insisting “there is no reason to release new documents.”