The Wall Street Journal made waves on Monday with the release of a purported birthday letter allegedly written by President Donald Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The supposed letter, dated 2003, was laid over an image of a naked woman's torso and reportedly signed by Trump. The contents of the letter were part of a larger document dump from the Epstein estate, which complied with a subpoena from Congress.
But not so fast, say Trump administration officials. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was quick to fire back, calling the report “fake news” and claiming it’s part of a larger effort to perpetuate the so-called "Democrat Epstein Hoax." Leavitt slammed the Wall Street Journal's coverage, referencing Trump’s ongoing legal battle with the paper.
“The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false,” Leavitt posted on X. “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.”
Leavitt didn’t stop there. She criticized the journalistic practices of the reporter, Joe Palazzolo, accusing him of attempting to smear the president. “The ‘reporter’ reached out for comment at the EXACT same minute he published his story giving us no time to respond,” she added, further denouncing the report as an example of biased media aimed at creating scandal.
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich also weighed in, pointing out that the signature on the letter doesn’t match Trump’s actual signature. He suggested that News Corp, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, might soon face significant legal repercussions for defamation.
Vice President JD Vance chimed in with his own strong reaction, accusing the Democrats of using the Epstein story as a smokescreen to attack Trump. “The Democrats don’t care about Epstein. They don’t even care about his victims. The only thing they care about is concocting another fake scandal like Russiagate to smear President Trump with lies,” he posted on X. “No one is falling for this BS.”
This latest episode is just another chapter in Trump’s ongoing legal and media battles. After the Wall Street Journal first reported on the letter in July, Trump called it a fabrication and filed a federal libel lawsuit against Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and the reporters involved. Trump is seeking legal redress for what he claims is libel, assault, and slander.
Once again, the media landscape has been shaken by the clash between Trump’s legal team and the press, with the president’s supporters insisting that the latest claims are nothing more than a politically motivated attack. As the legal drama continues to unfold, one thing’s for sure: the media’s obsession with smearing Trump isn’t going away anytime soon.
