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Earlier this month, the The Wall Street Journal reported on the existence of a peculiar gift: a leather-bound book intended for Jeffrey Epstein filled with letters from friends intended for the financier’s 50th birthday in 2003. Inside the book was a bawdy note from Donald Trump featuring a typewritten poem about the pair’s friendship, as well as the sketch of a nude woman accompanied by Trump’s trademark signature. A subsequent report from the Journal detailed some of the other names in the book, including former president Bill Clinton and Leon Black, former CEO of Apollo Global Management. Trump, who has sought to downplay the growing fervor surrounding his administration’s handling of the Epstein case, denounced the reported letter as “fake” and has sued the Journal as well as Rupert Murdoch for more than $10 billion in damages.
Here’s what we know so far about the book and the names that appear within.
Donald Trump
Trump’s decadeslong friendship has been long documented with a seemingly endless array of photos of the two businessmen together at public events. In a 2002 New York profile on Epstein, Trump said of him, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
While Trump has since distanced himself from Epstein and said their relationship fractured long before sex-trafficking allegations emerged against him, the letter described by the Journal gives a sense of the pair’s dynamic in those years:
It isn’t clear how the letter with Trump’s signature was prepared. Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person.
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note began.
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: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
He denounced the Journal’s report on social media, writing, “The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.”
Bill Clinton
Clinton’s name was one of many prominent names to appear in court documents related to the Epstein case that were unsealed in 2024. He was also among the people listed as passengers on Epstein’s private plane, according to flight logs released as evidence in Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial. The Journal reports that the birthday book included a message from the former president that was handwritten in “Clinton’s distinctive scrawl”:
It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends.
In response to its reporting, a spokesman referred the Journal to a 2019 statement that said Clinton was unaware of the crimes Epstein was accused of and had severed ties with the financier decades prior to him being charged.
Leon Black
The former Apollo executive had a business relationship with Epstein that lasted for years, paying him tens of millions of dollars for financial and tax consulting even in the years following Epstein’s first conviction in 2008 for prostitution involving a teenage girl. His connection to Epstein and the ensuing firestorm prompted his early exit from the private-equity firm he founded. The letter that the Journal reports Black wrote to Epstein was fairly suggestive in nature:
The submission with Black’s name had a handwritten poem with a rhyme scheme. The poem included the acronym “V.F.P.C.” with an asterisk that said it stood for “Vanity Fair Poster Child,” a reference to a magazine profile of Epstein that was in the works.
Two lines in the poem read:
Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically
With this net of fish, Jeff’s now ‘The Old Man and The Sea’
It was signed: “Love and kisses, Leon.”
Nathan Myhrvold
Epstein’s ties to Myhrvold, the chief technology officer at Microsoft, has been previously reported on. In 2019, Vanity Fair reported that Myhrvold once had a close relationship with Epstein, citing a source who said Epstein once visited Myhrvold’s investment firm and that Myhrvold himself bragged about borrowing Epstein’s jet. A spokesman for Myhrvold told Vanity Fair at the time, “Back in the day Epstein was a regular at TED conferences and he was a large donor to basic scientific research, so while Nathan knew him and has socialized with him, that’s exactly where their association ends.”
Per the Journal, Myhrvold’s letter featured explicit wildlife references:
A letter from Nathan Myhrvold, a billionaire and former Microsoft executive, said he was sending photos from a recent trip to Africa. “They seemed more appropriate than anything I could put in words,” said the letter, which ended with a typed “Nathan.” It was followed by photos of a monkey screaming, lions and zebras mating, and a zebra with its penis visible.
A spokeswoman for Myhrvold said he doesn’t recall the submission and that he is a wildlife photographer who “regularly shares photos of and writes about animal behavior.”
Les Wexner
Wexner, a billionaire businessman who once ran the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, had deep ties with Epstein, who served as his money manager for more than a decade. In a 2019 statement, Wexner said he had severed ties with Epstein decades prior after discovering he misappropriated some of his family’s funds. “I am embarrassed that, like so many others, I was deceived by Mr. Epstein. I know now that my trust in him was grossly misplaced and I deeply regret having ever crossed his path,” he wrote.
In Wexner’s note to Epstein, the Journal says he included a drawing of a woman’s breasts with the message, “I wanted to get you what you want … so here it is …” Per the outlet, Wexner declined to comment through a spokesman.
Alan Dershowitz
Dershowitz, who helped represent Trump during his first impeachment trial, is known for his high-profile clients. But the attorney was also a part of Epstein’s legal defense team during his first criminal arrest in Florida, an investigation that resulted in a controversial non-prosecution agreement that let Epstein evade serious jail time. Dershowitz was one of the many authors in the birthday book, according to the Journal:
Dershowitz’s letter included a mock-up of a “Vanity Unfair” magazine cover with mock headlines such as “Who was Jack the Ripper? Was it Jeffrey Epstein?” He joked that he had convinced the magazine to change the focus of an article from Epstein to Bill Clinton. Dershowitz, who represented Epstein after his first arrest, said, “It’s been a long time and I don’t recall the content of what I may have written.”
Vera Wang
One of the more surprising appearances in the Journal’s report was that of Vera Wang, the illustrious fashion designer. The newspaper reported in 2023 that Epstein would name-drop prominent names in the industry like Wang or supermodel Naomi Campbell to exert his power over young women. Wang told the Journal then that she regretted her connection to Epstein, saying, “I never knew he was using my name in any capacity, and it horrifies and repulses me to now hear that he did so.”
According to the outlet, Wang’s birthday message to Epstein included a joke about him appearing on the reality dating show The Bachelor.
More From This Series
Who Other Than Trump Is in Jeffrey Epstein’s Birthday BookIs Trump in the Epstein Files? All About Their Friendship.The Problem With Ghislaine Maxwell As a Witness
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