House Oversight Committee Democrats on Monday posted what they said was a birthday note from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, a revelation that renewed scrutiny of the president and drew sharp public attention to Vice President JD Vance, who earlier dismissed reporting about the message as false.
The hand-written card, which Democrats said came from a birthday book produced by Epstein's estate in response to a subpoena, includes a drawing of a female body and a handwritten line that reads in part, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." The Oversight Democrats shared the image on social media and urged the release of related files.
White House officials rejected the note's authenticity. Taylor Budowich, deputy White House chief of staff, wrote on X that the signature on the card did not match Trump's more recent signatures on official documents and called the reporting "DEFAMATION!" Press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said on X that it was "very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it." Trump earlier filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, publisher and two reporters over the paper's reporting about the existence of the letter.
Vance, who in July called the Journal's reporting "complete and utter bullshit," faced immediate online ridicule after the card was posted. He did not respond directly to the mockery on Monday; instead he reposted Leavitt's denial and wrote that "the Democrats don't care about Epstein. They don't even care about his victims," adding that Democrats were pursuing what he called a "fake scandal" to smear the president.
Democrats on the Oversight Committee said the card was among materials produced by the estate in response to a subpoena to Epstein's estate lawyer. Committee Democrats posted the card alongside a message urging full disclosure of records related to Epstein and his interactions with public figures.
The birthday card is the latest development in months-long scrutiny of Epstein-era documents and of public figures who had contact with the financier before his death. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the card and related materials earlier this year; that reporting prompted denials from the White House and the lawsuit by Trump challenging the coverage.
Social media reaction was swift, with critics of the White House highlighting Vance's earlier dismissal of the Journal story. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other commentators posted images and quotes from Vance's July statements, saying his earlier denunciation had not aged well. Supporters of the White House and the vice president continued to press claims that the item was fabricated or misattributed.
The Oversight Committee's public posting does not resolve questions about provenance or authorship; it reflects documents the committee says were produced in response to valid congressional subpoena authority. Legal and congressional battles over the scope of requests for Epstein-related records and over the underlying news reporting are continuing.
The release adds a new element to ongoing political and legal disputes ahead of the next election cycle, raising fresh lines of inquiry for congressional investigators, journalists and the parties involved in litigation. Committee Democrats said they would continue seeking related materials; the White House and the vice president's office reiterated their denials of the card's authenticity.