A recently released two-decade-old birthday letter from US President Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, allegedly bearing the president's signature, has sparked debate about the legitimacy of the signature. For those uninformed, the existence of the alleged 2003 birthday letter was made public by The Wall Street Journal in July 2025. According to the Journal, the letter featured a conversation between the president and Epstein within the silhouette of a woman's body, with a cursive "Donald" signature placed in the lower region of the silhouette. The Journal did not release the alleged letter at the time, prompting Trump to deny its existence and file a libel lawsuit against the Journal's publisher and the reporters covering the story. In the lawsuit, the president's lawyer stated that the publication did not release the alleged letter because "no authentic letter or drawing exists." On September 8, 2025, the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee posted the letter on social media, which they reportedly obtained from Epstein's estate as part of his "birthday book" for his 50th birthday.According to CNN, the president and his administration continue to deny his association with the letter, claiming that his signature on the alleged document was fabricated. In an X post on September 8, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the president neither drew nor signed the letter, writing:"The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire “Birthday Card” story is false. As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it."Karoline Leavitt @PressSecLINKThe latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire “Birthday Card” story is false. As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.Furthermore, the “reporter” @joe_palazzolo who wrote this hatchet job reached out for comment at the EXACT same minute he published his story giving us no time to respond.This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!Additionally, Taylor Budowich, the White House's deputy chief of staff, posted on X that the letter proved "defamation," tagging News Corp, the parent company of The Journal, owned by Rupert Murdoch."Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!” Budowich wrote.Furthermore, Vice President JD Vance accused Democrats of "concocting another fake scandal" to "smear" the president "with lies" in a X post.Trump's alleged signature in the "birthday letter" has been used in other letters he signed around that timeThe recently surfaced birthday letter, allegedly from the president to Jeffrey Epstein, has stirred conversation about the president's supposed signature on the letter. Several pro-Trump influencers, including Charlie Kirk and Benny Johnson, questioned the authenticity of the signature, claiming it did not match the president's official signature."The Wall Street Journal just released the “letter” they claim President Trump sent to Epstein… Is this really the best they could do? Trump has the most famous signature in the world. Time to sue them into the oblivion," Johnson wrote in an X post.However, CNN recently compiled a list of letters that the president signed, which had signatures similar to the one on the alleged birthday letter. This reportedly included a 1984 letter to A.M. Rosenthal (The New York Times' executive editor), a 1999 letter to Larry King, and a 1996 letter to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, among others.Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrumpLINKNYT: Several letters that Trump wrote to NYC officials from 1987 through 2001 show him signing only his first name, and those signatures closely match the first-name only version of Trump’s signature on the Epstein note.Additionally, the signature also appeared on an inscription that the president wrote on a copy of his 1997 book, titled "Trump: The Art of the Comeback," which Epstein reportedly had in his collection. The inscription, signed "Donald" and dated "Oct '97," reads:“To Jeff – You are the greatest!”The president with Melania, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club in 2000 (Image via Getty Images)According to CNN, the president apparently used the cursive "Donald" signature with the extended tail on the second "d" to address more personal matters, where signing with his first name would be considered appropriate.In other news, Jeffrey Epstein's 238-page "birthday book," reportedly compiled by his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, also included a partially redacted photo of the disgraced financier with others holding a giant check from Trump to Epstein. According to CNN, a note below the photo read:“Jeffrey showing early talents with money and women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [readacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.”Neither the president nor his administration has commented on the note or picture at the time of writing this article.