The New York Times on Thursday confirmed the Wall Street Journal's previous reporting that President Donald Trump contributed to a 50th birthday album for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 (several years before Epstein's first conviction). The paper also published a message Trump wrote to his longtime friend in a book.
According to the Times' David Enrich, Steve Eder, Matthew Goldstein and Jessica Silver-Greenberg, a list of contributors to the birthday album include former Victoria's Secret owner Leslie H. Wexner, former Bear Stearns chairman and CEO Alan Greenberg and physicist Murray Gell-Mann in addition to Trump (Greenberg and Gell-Mann died in 2014 and 2019, respectively). Epstein's longtime partner and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell wrote a handwritten introductory letter to Epstein to accompany the album.
"Jeffrey, The idea behind the 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 them to see for yourself," she wrote. "I know you will enjoy looking through the book, and I hope you will derive as much pleasure looking through it as I did putting it together for you. Happy happy birthday, Love Ghislaine."
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In addition to the note Trump wrote to Epstein in the album, the Times found another complimentary message Trump inscribed in a copy of his book "Trump: The Art of the Comeback." In the front jacket, Trump wrote: "Jeff — you are the greatest!" He signed the message "Donald," and dated it in October of 1997.
The Times also published a previously unseen photo in which Trump is seen posing with both Epstein and the late soul and funk singer James Brown. While the Times reported it had no knowledge of the photo's context, the paper reported that Brown was a regular performer at the Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which has since closed.
Trump has not yet directly responded to the Times' report, though he appeared to reference it in a Thursday night Truth Social post. The president accused Democrats of going "absolutely CRAZY" and of carrying out a "CON JOB" by talking about Epstein, which Trump insisted was a "HOAX."
"The Radical Left Democrats are doing everything in their power to distract and obfuscate from our GREAT six months of service to America, results of which many are saying is the BEST six months in Presidential history," Trump wrote. "They have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM. As things are revealed and, I hope will take place quickly, you will see that it is yet another Democrat CON JOB. Hopefully, the Grand Jury Files will put an end to this HOAX."
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Click here to read the Times' full article (subscription required).