US legislators have made public a copy of a so-called “birthday book” created for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, which includes a message purportedly signed by then-businessman Donald Trump. Epstein, a convicted sex offender and financier, received the scrapbook on his 50th birthday from Ghislaine Maxwell, his former partner who was later jailed for sex trafficking.
The volume was among hundreds of documents turned over to the House Oversight Committee by lawyers for Epstein’s estate after a subpoena last month. It was released alongside his will, personal address book, and other records naming prominent figures including royalty, politicians, models, and celebrities.
One of the most controversial pages is a handwritten note said to be from Trump, accompanied by a drawing of a female body. The White House has strongly denied its authenticity, saying: “The president did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.” Trump has previously dismissed the note as “fake” and filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal after it first reported on the item earlier this year.
The scrapbook, titled “The First Fifty Years,” features messages from several well-known contacts. Among them is a greeting attributed to former President Bill Clinton, who at the time acknowledged knowing Epstein but said he was unaware of his crimes. A note from Lord Peter Mandelson, then UK ambassador to the US, described Epstein as “my best pal,” something Mandelson has since said he deeply regrets. One unnamed woman claimed she met Trump, Clinton, and Prince Andrew through Epstein and even described visiting Buckingham Palace’s private quarters.
Prince Andrew, who has faced accusations linked to Epstein but denied wrongdoing, is only mentioned briefly.
The publication of the book comes as President Trump faces increasing pressure to disclose more about what federal investigations uncovered about Epstein. During his 2024 campaign he suggested he was open to releasing further details, but after taking office he said the matter was closed.
The revelations have fueled bipartisan sparring in Congress. Democrats shared an image of the disputed Trump note online, accusing the president of lying about its existence. Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said Trump “is doing everything he can to cover up the truth.” Republican chair James Comer countered that Democrats were “cherry-picking documents” and politicizing the material, while insisting Republicans would pursue a full investigation.
Alongside the scrapbook, lawmakers also published Epstein’s 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida and decades’ worth of entries from his personal address book.
Epstein and Trump were social acquaintances in the 1990s and early 2000s, though Trump has said their friendship ended after Epstein tried to hire away staff from his Mar-a-Lago resort. Epstein was first charged in Florida in 2006 with soliciting prostitution and later died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
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