Supporters of President Donald Trump brushed off House Democrats’ release of a 2003 birthday letter Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, calling the signature a forgery.
Why it matters:
The quick rejection highlights how firmly Trump’s allies have moved beyond the Epstein scandal, even as Democrats try to revive it. Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, died in prison in 2019.
Over the summer, many MAGA followers were frustrated with Trump’s push to move past the controversy. Some believed the government was misleading them and demanded more transparency. But after The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Trump’s name appeared in Epstein’s birthday book, the movement rallied behind him and hasn’t wavered since.
Their statements:
- “Does the below from the WSJ look like this actual signature from the President? I don’t think so at all. Fake,” activist Charlie Kirk posted on X.
- Podcaster Benny Johnson added, “Is this really the best they could do? Trump has the most famous signature in the world. Time to sue them into oblivion.”
- White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich echoed the claim, saying the signature didn’t match Trump’s recent autographs.
- Vice President J.D. Vance also chimed in on X, accusing Democrats of ignoring Epstein’s victims: “The only thing they care about is creating another fake scandal like Russiagate to smear Trump with lies.”
Trump, who is suing The Wall Street Journal for defamation and demanding at least $20 billion in damages, has maintained the letter is fabricated.
Between the lines:
Both The Journal and The New York Times analyzed the signature and reported it looked consistent with handwritten notes Trump wrote in the 1990s and early 2000s. The birthday book was turned over by Epstein’s estate as part of a House Oversight Committee subpoena, which also released dozens of related documents this week.
Big picture:
The MAGA reaction is a sharp contrast to earlier this summer, when outrage erupted after the Justice Department declared Epstein’s death a suicide and denied the existence of a sex trafficking “client list.” At the time, MAGA voices were furious, with some even calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi’s removal. Trump’s refusal to linger on the Epstein case fueled their anger.
But after July’s Wall Street Journal report, the movement fell back in line. Monday’s quick dismissal of the birthday letter shows how far the issue has faded from MAGA’s concerns.
Breitbart’s Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle summed up the reaction: “Okay, now that we know every critic of Trump over Epstein has been totally and completely full of sht for the past three months, are any of them going to face any consequences? Probably not, but obviously Trump and his team have been telling the truth here throughout this all.”