Trump says he doesn't ‘draw pictures.' But many of his sketches sold at auction.
'It takes me a few minutes to draw something, in my case, it's usually a building or a cityscape of skyscrapers, and then sign my name, but it raises thousands of dollars to help the hungry in New York through the Capuchin Food Pantries Ministry,' he wrote in his 2008 book, 'Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges Into Success.'
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After Trump was elected president, some of the drawings he signed were auctioned off for thousands of dollars — even as he wrote in his book that 'art may not be my strong point.'
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In a photo from Julien's, a drawing dated to 2006 by President Trump of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J. The president disputes reporting from The Wall Street Journal that he drew a picture for Jeffrey Epstein, but as a real estate mogul, he often sketched for charity.
JULIEN'S/NYT
In a photo from Heritage Auctions, a drawing dated to 2005 by President Trump of a section of the Manhattan skyline that was donated to the St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters organization in New York.
HERITAGE AUCTIONS/NYT
The president has denied reports before — only for them to later be confirmed by audio or photos, such as his comments captured on 'Access Hollywood' in which he bragged about grabbing women's genitals, or photos of him flushing documents down the toilet.
The focus on Trump's drawings comes as many of his most ardent supporters are calling for transparency around the investigation into Epstein, who was in a New York City jail cell awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges when he died by suicide in 2019.
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On Thursday night, Trump said he was authorizing Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the public release of grand jury testimony from the prosecution of Epstein.
The president vehemently denied the reporting from the Journal and threatened to sue the company, but the report raised new questions about his ties to Epstein.
'As the president has said, the Wall Street Journal printed fake news and he doesn't draw things like the outlet described,' Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement.
In a photo from Leland Little Auctions, a drawing by President Trump that sold for $8,500 and was described by the auction house as a 'money tree' drawing.
LELAND LITTLE AUCTIONS/NYT
Trump often donated sketches of the Manhattan skyline.
Over the years, Trump has donated his artwork to various charities, with many of his sketches focused on the same stretch of Manhattan skyline. These sketches would have been donated during the same time period that the Journal says Trump sent Epstein a note 'of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker,' and featuring Trump's signature.
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