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Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday greeting album

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The First Fifty Years
Spine of The First Fifty Years
EditorGhislaine Maxwell
Publication date
January 20, 2003
Pages238

In 2003, the friends and acquaintances of American financier Jeffrey Epstein—who would later, in 2008, be convicted of sexual offenses against minors[1]—gave him a bound album with personalized greetings for his 50th birthday, entitled The First Fifty Years.[2][3] The album was assembled by Epstein's close friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, with help from assistants. She asked for "drawings, photos or stories" from associates of Epstein.[4][3]

The existence of the book was first reported in a July 2025 article by The Wall Street Journal. The article also detailed a letter from the book that was allegedly written and signed by Donald Trump, the U.S. President at the time the article was published; the letter was described as featuring a hand-drawn outline of a naked girl and ending with the valediction "may every day be another wonderful secret". The article was published at a time when Trump's former relationship with Epstein was coming under heavy scrutiny. Trump denied the legitimacy of the letter and filed a $10 billion lawsuit. The book also features a letter attributed to former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The contents of the book were made public by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in September 2025.[5]

Contents

In her introduction to the album, Ghislaine Maxwell wrote that she had intended 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."[6]

The Wall Street Journal described many of the birthday greetings as "anodyne" but wrote that other were "bawdy and made crude jokes about sex".[4] Multiple digital copies of the album have been created. The album has been reviewed by officials from the United States Justice Department during their investigation into Epstein and his sex trafficking scandals.[4] In August 2025, The New York Times published letters sent to Epstein for his 63rd birthday in 2016.[7]

Release

The existence of the album was made public in July 2025 with the publication of an article in The Wall Street Journal titled "Jeffrey Epstein's Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump." The article was published amidst the maelstrom surrounding Trump's relationship with Epstein in the summer of 2025.[8] A second article, titled "Jeffrey Epstein's Birthday Book Included Letters From Bill Clinton, Leon Black" was published on July 25, 2025.[4] The full album was released and published online in September 2025 by United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.[5]

Partial list of contributors

Contributors to the album were sorted into the groups "Family", "Brooklyn", "Business", "Girlfriends", "Children", "Friends", "Science", "Girl-Friends", "Special Assistants" and "The Next 50 Years".[4][5]

Letter from Donald Trump
  • Leon Black contributed a "handwritten poem with a rhyme scheme" which included the acronym "V.F.P.C." which stood for "Vanity Fair Poster Child". This was in reference to a profile of Epstein that was being written for the magazine.[4] The poem contained the lines "Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically/With this net of fish, Jeff’s now The Old Man and The Sea". He signed the poem "Love and kisses, Leon".[4]
  • Jean-Luc Brunel[4]
  • James Cayne[4]
  • Bill Clinton wrote "It's reassuring isn't it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and errors, and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends".[4]
  • Alan Dershowitz's contribution was a pretend Vanity Unfair magazine cover "with mock headlines".[4]
  • Mark Epstein, Jeffrey's brother.[4]
  • Murray Gell-Mann[6]
  • Alan C. Greenberg[4]
  • Peter Mandelson[9]
  • Nathan Myhrvold sent photographs from a recent trip to Africa that he had taken which "seemed more appropriate than anything I could put in words". The photographs included "a monkey screaming, lions and zebras mating, and a zebra with its penis visible".[4]
  • The letter from Donald Trump was framed by the outline of a naked girl with several lines of typewritten text imagining a conversation between the pair.[8]

    Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything

    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.

    Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.

    — Trump's letter to Epstein

    The Wall Street Journal described the drawing as "[appearing] to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the female's breasts, and [Trump's] signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair".[8] After Epstein's estate provided a copy of the album to Congress, the Journal published a copy of the letter with the drawing and Trump's signature.[10]
  • Vera Wang's contribution suggested they go on a shopping trip and joked about Epstein appearing on The Bachelor television series.[4]
  • Les Wexner's letter had a "line drawing of what appeared to be a woman's breasts" alongside a short message.[4]
  • Mortimer Zuckerman's letter joked about having looked for information on Epstein in the New York Daily News, of which he was part owner, said that Epstein was "born in Liechtenstein and had a wife and three children".[4]

Reactions

Several contributors reacted to the publication of The Wall Street Journal articles on the album in July 2025. Many contributors had since disavowed and publicly regretted their relationship with Epstein.[4]

Myhrvold said he did not recall his submission and that he "regularly shares photos of and writes about animal behavior" as a wildlife photographer.[4] Trump disowned the letter prior to publication of the Wall Street Journal article in 2025, saying that "This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story" and that he "never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women ... It's not my language. It's not my words".[8] Trump subsequently sued the Wall Street Journal's publisher, Dow Jones, parent company News Corp and their executives, and the reporters of the article for $10 billion in damages.[11] Black, Clinton and Wexner declined to comment.[4] Zuckerman and Wang did not respond to requests for comment.[4] Dershowitz could not recall his contribution.[4]

The Democratic congress members Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia requested a copy of the book by August 10, 2025, as they deemed it essential to their congressional oversight of the Epstein controversy and the Trump administration.[12] On September 8, 2025, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a letter matching a description of the one that was allegedly signed by Trump.[13][14] That evening, Representative Jasmine Crockett emphasized on CNN that the material had come from the Epstein estate, not from a partisan source.[15]

Upon the release of the album, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump drew the image, further stating that his "legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation".[16] Donald Trump also told NBC News that the letter was a "dead issue".[17]

References

  1. ^ Grant, Trac (September 9, 2025). "The Epstein Files: A Timeline". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 9, 2025. In 2008 Epstein pleaded guilty to two state charges: soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison...
  2. ^ Crisp, Elizabeth (September 9, 2025). "House Releases Jeffrey Epstein Book: What's In It". The Hill. Retrieved September 9, 2025. The House Oversight Committee on Monday released a much-discussed, leather-bound book compiled by Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003, providing new insight into the disgraced financier's social circles before he faced charges related to sex trafficking minors.
  3. ^ a b Holmes, Oliver; Ganguly, Manisha (September 9, 2025). "Epstein 50th Birthday Book: Who Is In It and What Did They Say?". The Guardian. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Safdar, Khadeeja; Palazzolo, Joe (July 25, 2025). "Jeffrey Epstein's Birthday Book Included Letters From Bill Clinton, Leon Black". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 25, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (September 8, 2025). "Oversight Committee Releases Records Provided by the Epstein Estate, Chairman Comer Provides Statement" (press release). Washington, DC: U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Enrich, David; Goldstein, Matthew; Silver-Greenberg, Jessica; Eder, Steve (July 24, 2025). "Trump's Name Is on Contributor List for Epstein Birthday Book". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  7. ^ Enrich, David; Goldstein, Matthew; Silver-Greenberg, Jessica; Eder, Steve (August 3, 2025). "Inside Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan Townhouse: Birthday Letters, First Edition 'Lolita' and More". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d Safdar, Khadeeja; Palazzolo, Joe (July 17, 2025). "Jeffrey Epstein's Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 25, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  9. ^ Saad, Nardine (September 8, 2025). "US lawmakers release Epstein 'birthday book' with alleged Trump note". BBC News. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  10. ^ Safdar, Khadeeja; Palazzolo, Joe (September 8, 2025). "Exclusive: Epstein Birthday Letter With Trump's Signature Revealed". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  11. ^ Stanage, Niall (July 25, 2025). "5 unanswered questions around Trump and the Epstein saga". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  12. ^ Gambino, Lauren (July 26, 2025). "Democrats request copy of Epstein 'birthday book' that reportedly contains Trump poem". The Guardian. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  13. ^ Gold, Michael (September 8, 2025). "Congress Obtains Drawing for Epstein Apparently Signed by Trump". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  14. ^ Price, Michelle L. (September 8, 2025). "Trump note to Epstein that he denies signing is released by Congress". AP News. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  15. ^ Townsend, Corey (September 9, 2025). "Jasmine Crockett Has Simple Question For Trump After 'Crazy' Epstein Signature Defense". HuffPost. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  16. ^ Schneid, Rebecca (September 9, 2025). "A Look at the Letters Inside Epstein's 'Birthday Book'". Time. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  17. ^ Haake, Garrett; Lebowitz, Megan (September 9, 2025). "Trump calls Epstein birthday letter a 'dead issue'". NBC News. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
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