US lawmakers have released a 2003 “birthday book” compiled for Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, which allegedly contains a handwritten note from Donald Trump. The White House immediately dismissed the note as a forgery, saying the president “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.”
The book was unveiled alongside thousands of pages of documents from Epstein’s estate, including his will and personal address book, after the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the estate’s executors last month.
The 238-page scrapbook—titled The First Fifty Years—was assembled for Epstein’s 50th birthday by Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate and ex-girlfriend who was later convicted of conspiring with him to traffic underage girls. The book contains messages from figures across politics, business, and entertainment.
Among them is the alleged note from Trump, who was friendly with Epstein in the late 1990s before saying he cut ties in the early 2000s. Another message, apparently from former President Bill Clinton, references Epstein’s “childlike curiosity.” Clinton has acknowledged knowing Epstein but denied knowledge of his crimes.
Lord Peter Mandelson, then Britain’s ambassador to the United States, also contributed a note calling Epstein “my best pal.” A spokesperson for Mandelson said he “very much regretted” ever being introduced to Epstein. Prince Andrew is briefly mentioned through a woman’s note claiming she met Trump, Clinton, and the royal through Epstein and had “seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace.”
The release has reignited scrutiny of Trump’s past ties to Epstein. When the Wall Street Journal first reported on the alleged note in July, Trump dismissed it as “a fake thing” and sued the paper, its executives, and Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion in damages.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee circulated the image of the note on X, with Rep. Robert Garcia accusing Trump of lying about its existence. “Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth,” Garcia said.
Republicans on the committee pushed back, with Chairman James Comer accusing Democrats of “cherry-picking documents and politicizing information.” He stressed the panel’s focus was to “bring transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein’s heinous crimes.”
Alongside the scrapbook, lawmakers released a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors in Florida, as well as nearly 30 years of entries from his contact book, which included names of royalty, models, and prominent business leaders.
Epstein was first indicted in 2006 on charges of soliciting prostitution in Florida. He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on new federal charges. His death, ruled a suicide, continues to fuel conspiracy theories and questions about the full scope of his connections.
The resurfacing of Epstein’s “birthday book” and its alleged Trump note comes at a politically sensitive moment for the president, who faces growing pressure—even within his own party—for transparency regarding what investigators uncovered about Epstein’s network.