Karoline Leavitt rejects claims Trump wrote scrawled ‘Donald’ in Epstein’s birthday book
WASHINGTON, DC: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wasn’t pulling any punches Tuesday, September 9, when she shot down claims that the scrawled “Donald” in Jeffrey Epstein’s bawdy 2003 birthday book came from President Donald Trump.
Leavitt said she was ready to bring in the experts. “Sure, we would support that,” she told reporters when asked if the White House would welcome a handwriting analysis to clear Trump’s name.
“In fact, I have already seen many forensic analysts—I believe it was The Daily Signal that published a piece with three separate analysts who said this was absolutely not the president’s signature, and we have maintained that position all along,” she said. “The president did not write this letter; he did not sign this letter.”
Leavitt: "The Daily Signal published a piece with three separate signature analysts who said this was absolutely not the president's authentic signature. We have maintained that position all along. The president did not write this letter. He did not sign this letter." pic.twitter.com/HvDNeJEjPI
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) September 9, 2025
Confusion over Karoline Leavitt’s cited report
There was one problem with Leavitt’s claim. Nobody could find the article she cited, according to The Guardian. The Daily Signal, a conservative outlet founded by the Heritage Foundation, had no such report.
It appears Leavitt confused her sources. What she likely meant was a post from the Daily Wire, not the Daily Signal. But that report (titled “WSJ Epstein Letter ‘Polar Opposite’ Of Trump’s Writing Style: 3 Forensic Analyses Reach Same Verdict”) wasn’t about Trump’s signature.
Instead, the Daily Wire said it ran the text of the birthday note through three AI models. The “forensic linguistic analysis” found the wording didn’t match Trump’s usual writing style.
Reporter: You say he didn't sign the birthday card, he didn't do the check. Those were documents from the estate. What is the working theory?
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 9, 2025
Leavitt: The president has one of the most famous signatures in the world. The president did not write that letter, did not sign those… pic.twitter.com/1yGZ19EJIJ
Still, given Trump’s history of ghostwriters, pinning down his “style” may be tricky, The Guardian noted.
Jeffrey Epstein’s controversial birthday book
The controversial birthday book first surfaced in July, when the Wall Street Journal reported on Epstein’s 50th birthday gift. It was a risqué compilation arranged by Ghislaine Maxwell and filled with personal letters from high-profile friends.
Trump’s alleged entry appeared beside the outline of a naked woman.
“We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” the typed note read. “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? … Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The report angered Trump. He filed a $10 billion libel lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones & Co., and the Journal reporters in federal court in Florida.
“I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper. That will be an interesting experience!!!” Trump wrote.
The story returned to headlines this week after House Democrats released the full contents of Epstein’s birthday book.
White House response from Karoline Leavitt
Leavitt insisted the uproar was another baseless smear. “Why are the Democrats suddenly caring about this?” she asked. “Because they’re desperately trying to concoct a hoax to smear the president of the United States. We have seen this time and time again.”
“They could have cared about this four years ago, when Joe Biden was in office. They could have pushed for transparency then,” she said. “The Democrats are using victims as political pawns to try to smear the president of the United States.”
