By Dayo Ade Olusola |M10news| USNews| 24 July 2025
Donald Trump is facing renewed scrutiny over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after a personal note from the former president resurfaced in a signed copy of his 1997 book, Trump: The Art of the Comeback.
The message, dated “Oct 97” and addressed to “Jeff,” reads: “You are the greatest!” It was signed simply “Donald.” The inscription, first reported by the New York Times, was accompanied by a photograph of the note and has sparked fresh controversy over the former president’s decades-long association with Epstein.
The newspaper also reported that Trump’s name appears in a “contributors list” for a private 50th birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein, alongside fellow former president Bill Clinton.
Trump has launched legal action against the Wall Street Journal following claims that the album featured a sexually suggestive birthday letter allegedly written by him, hinting at a shared history between himself and Epstein.
According to the Journal, parts of the 2003 birthday album were reviewed by Justice Department investigators during probes into Maxwell and Epstein. One page purportedly contained a letter from Trump printed inside the silhouette of a nude female figure, which appeared to have been drawn with a black marker.
The letter reportedly featured a fictional conversation between Trump and Epstein:
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything.”
Trump: “Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.”
Epstein: “Nor will I, since I also know what it is.”
Trump: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.”
Epstein: “Yes, we do, come to think of it.”
Trump: “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?”
Epstein: “As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.”
Trump: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump has strongly denied writing or signing the letter, dismissing the report as a “fake Wall Street Journal story.” His legal team argues that the Journal failed to provide the original letter, artwork, or authentication — and has filed a defamation suit seeking damages of over $10 billion in a Florida federal court.
The New York Times report also includes a personal message from Maxwell to Epstein in the album. She wrote: “The idea behind this book was simply to gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about places, people and different events.
“Some of the letters will definitely achieve their intended goal. Some, well… you will have to read to see for yourself.” Maxwell concluded: “I hope you will derive so much pleasure looking through it as I did putting it together for you. Happy happy birthday. Love Ghislaine.”
The newspaper also revealed several other high-profile names who contributed to the birthday book, including the late Victoria’s Secret owner Leslie H. Wexner, former Bear Stearns CEO Alan C. Greenberg, and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann. The contributors list reportedly included around 50 names in total.
However, according to the Wall Street Journal, the “next biggest name” in the album after Trump was Bill Clinton, who allegedly submitted a message that read: “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.”
A spokesperson for Clinton declined to comment but referred reporters to a previous statement asserting that the former president was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities and severed ties with him more than a decade before his 2019 arrest.
The Journal also reported that former UK cabinet minister Peter Mandelson contributed a message describing Epstein as “my best pal,” accompanied by images of whiskey bottles and a tropical island setting. Mandelson has not commented publicly on the report.
Trump’s lawsuit claims that the Journal published a fabricated account, stating: “The reason for those failures is because no authentic letter or drawing exists.”
Trump has previously acknowledged a close relationship with Epstein in the 1980s and 1990s, telling New York Magazine in 2002: “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.”
Epstein died in 2019 in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison following her conviction for procuring and grooming underage girls for Epstein’s abuse.
Neither Wexner nor Maxwell’s legal representatives have commented on the latest revelations.
