Remember, back in July, when The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump had celebrated one of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s birthdays with a drawing of a naked woman, and a reference to a “wonderful secret” the two men allegedly shared? And the response from the president and his allies was to claim the story was “complete and utter bullshit”? And that Trump doesn’t “draw pictures”? And that the letter did not, in fact, exist? In light of the fact that the House Oversight Committee was able to obtain the letter in question from Epstein’s estate, and that Democrats on the committee went ahead and posted an image of it Monday, you might think the president and MAGA world would be singing a slightly different tune right about now. But, surprise! They are not only continuing to insist that the drawing is in no way damaging for Trump, but that it actually proves he’s innocent.
Yes, in an incredible display of whatever is German for “You could show us evidence that this guy is the direct descendant of Satan and we’d still defend him,” allies of the president have spent the last 24 hours arguing that the letter, which appears to bear Trump’s signature, exonerates him. “Does the below from the WSJ look like this actual signature from the President? I don’t think so at all. Fake,” right-wing activist Charlie Kirk wrote on X. “Is this really the best they could do? Trump has the most famous signature in the world. Time to sue them into the oblivion,” chimed in podcaster Benny Johnson. (In fact, Trump has already sued WSJ publisher Dow Jones and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, among others. A Dow Jones spokeswoman said in a statement Monday, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting.”) “The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared on social media. “As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.” Another White House official, Taylor Budowich, added to the “it’s not his signature” chorus and said that Murdoch’s media empire would need to “open that checkbook” in response to the president’s ongoing lawsuit. Vice President JD Vance cried “fake scandal.” Eric Trump went on TV and said, “I can tell you my father does not sketch out cartoon drawings.”
Unfortunately for Eric, his father’s drawings have literally been sold at auction, and Trump has spoken publicly about his artistic process. As for the claims that the signature on the Epstein birthday card is not Trump’s, analysis by the Wall Street Journal suggests the signature in question looks remarkably like one Trump used at the time:
