Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘birthday book’: What we know about its contents

Politicians in the US have caused a stir by releasing a birthday letter allegedly written and signed by US President Donald Trump to the disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The document was included in a 238-page book that was given to Epstein by his high-profile friends to mark his 50th birthday in 2003.

A redacted copy of the album was made public by a US congressional panel on Monday as part of efforts to release more information on Epstein and his friends amid growing public pressure.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The “birthday book” was subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate last month by the House Oversight Committee, along with documents including his will and personal address book that were also published this week.

Shortly before the release of the entire album, Democratic politicians on the committee had shared sections purportedly linked to Trump.

They were criticised for doing so by James Comer, the Republican chairman of the committee, who accused them of “politicising information received from the Epstein Estate”.

The alleged Trump note is bordered by the silhouette of a naked woman and ends with what is claimed to be the president’s signature.

“A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the letter says.

Trump, who used to be a friend of Epstein, has denied ever writing or signing the letter, bringing a $10bn (€8.5bn) lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for its reporting on the note.

“As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, adding that the president would continue to “aggressively pursue litigation”.

What else is in Epstein’s ‘birthday book’?

The “birthday book” contains some 40 entries across categories including "friends," "business," "family" and "girl friends".

It begins with a prologue that appears to have been written by Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of child sex trafficking in connection with Epstein.

“Jeffrey, the idea behind the book was simply to gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about places and people and different events,” the note says.

As well as a handwritten letter from his mother and photographs from his childhood, there are many sexually explicit images and letters.

One of his friends compares him to the central figure in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, before suggesting that he caught women — “blonde, red or brunette” — instead of fish.

Another entry, allegedly by a 22-year-old woman, details how she was a restaurant hostess when she met Epstein, who then helped her travel the world and meet celebrities.

There is also a cartoon of Epstein receiving a massage from topless women and photos of animals such as lions having sex.

Prominent figures whose names appear in the “birthday book” include former US President Bill Clinton and Peter Mandelson, the current British ambassador to the US.

The author of the message reportedly written by Clinton celebrates Epstein’s “childlike curiosity” and his “drive to make a difference”.

The former US president has previously insisted that he knew nothing of Epstein’s wrongdoing.

The entry allegedly penned by Mandelson calls the financier his “best pal”. The UK diplomat has said that “he very much regrets” ever meeting Epstein.