Donald Trump's Epstein birthday sketch denial exposed as trail of art resurfaces
Donald Trump's denial that he ever drew after being accused of sending a lewd sketch of a naked woman to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has been rubbished - by himself.
A trail of artwork made and signed by the President - some auctioned for tens of thousands of pounds - has now resurfaced, undermining his own defence. Reports in the US claim Trump added a sexually suggestive letter and sketch to a leather-bound birthday album compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday by Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003. The president emphatically denied involvement. 'I never wrote a picture in my life,' he said in a statement.
The report alleges Trump's contribution included a typewritten letter to Prince Andrew's pal Epstein framed by a sketch of a naked woman drawn in black marker. The president's signature is said to appear below the waist of the figure, mimicking pubic hair.
The letter reportedly ends with: 'Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump has taken to his Truth Social platform to reinforce his denial, posting: 'These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures.'
However, the Mirror quickly found examples of sketches Trump has drawn and signed in the past, many of which were auctioned, including at Sotheby's and Julien's for charitable causes. In his 2008 book Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success, he also wrote candidly about his art.
'It takes me a few minutes to draw something, in my case, it's usually a building or a cityscape of skyscrapers,' he said. 'Art may not be my strong point, but the end result is help for people who need it.'
A copy of the book includes one of Trump's own sketches. In January this year, Sotheby's sold a Trump drawing, penned with his signature gold marker, for £11,530. The sketch was described as 'reminiscent of the Riverside South development project in Manhattan'.
Though dated '2004' by Trump, Sotheby's states the drawing was initially created in 2003 - the same year as the alleged Epstein birthday letter. The artwork was produced for a celebrity auction called 'Doodle for Hunger'. In 2017, another of Trump's New York City skyline drawings fetched £22,400 at auction. Originally created in 2005 for a fundraiser. It had been widely publicised as part of Trump's philanthropic artwork.
That same year, a second skyline sketch sold for £15,350. Julien's Auctions, which handled several sales of Trump's drawings, also sold a 2006 sketch titled George Washington Bridge for £3,430. It was described as 'an original ink illustration on paper' and 'signed in black ink by Donald Trump lower centre.'
The drawing at the centre of the Wall Street Journal exposé is said to have also been created using black marker, matching Trump's preferred method in multiple known examples. In yet another instance, a black marker sketch of the Empire State Building, drawn by him at Mar-a-Lago in Florida for a charity event, was sold for £12,310 by Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles in 2017.
According to The New York Times, the sketch had initially sold for under £80, before appreciating dramatically in value. Julien's listing described it as 'a hand-drawn sketch of the Empire State Building executed in black marker by Donald J. Trump and signed by Trump.'
Despite this extensive paper trail, Trump continued to deny any connection to the Epstein letter, insisting: 'This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story.'
The White House was approached for clarification following the online circulation of these numerous Trump-drawn artworks. In response, officials referred back to Trump's Truth Social post.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
2 minutes ago
- ITV News
Trump unveils new tariffs on 92 countries, with Canada hit by 35% levy
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing new tariffs on 92 countries, with Canada being hit with a 35% levy. The order, which will take effect on August 7, follows days of intense tariff negotiations, as the White House struck last-minute deals with several countries ahead of the president's Friday deadline. Trump set the Friday deadline after his earlier 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April triggered a stock market slump and stoked fears of a recession. In response, he introduced a 90-day window for negotiations. But when efforts to secure enough trade deals fell short, he extended the timeline and sent letters to world leaders outlining the proposed tariff rates, a move that sparked a flurry of rushed agreements. Despite the delays, the new tariffs are expected to strain long-standing global alliances and once again test the world economy. After initially threatening Lesotho with a 50% tariff, the US has lowered the rate to 15%. Tariffs have been set at 20% for Taiwan and 19% for Pakistan, while goods from Israel, Iceland, Norway, Fiji, Ghana, Guyana, and Ecuador, among others, will face a 15% levy. Trump's decision to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on certain goods prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to say on Friday that he is 'disappointed' by the US decision to target products not covered by the existing free trade deal, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA, negotiated during Trump's first term and implemented in 2020, allows many North American-made products to be traded without tariffs. Uncertainty has marked Trump's months-long tariff rollout, adding a sense of drama to each announcement. But one thing has remained consistent: his push to impose import taxes that many economists warn will, at least in part, fall on US consumers and businesses. 'We have made a few deals today that are excellent deals for the country,' Trump told reporters on Thursday afternoon, without detailing the terms of those agreements or the nations involved.
Daily Record
2 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Siblings begged for 'one last swim' before drowning in Spain holiday horror
The brother and sister drowned after getting into difficulty in the sea at during their 'first big holiday abroad.' Two young siblings who drowned during a family holiday in Spain had pleaded for "one last swim", a devastated family member has revealed. Ameiya and Ricardo Del Brocco - affectionately known as Maya and Jubs - died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Salou last week. It was their "first big holiday abroad" with their parents and four siblings, staying at the four-star Hotel Best Negresco near Llarga Beach, reports the Mirror. But the trip ended in heartbreak when the pair reportedly asked parents Shanice and Ricardo Snr, both 31, if they could go for one final dip in the ocean - but tragedy struck. Shanice had taken one of the other children to the toilet, while Ricardo Snr stayed on the beach watching the children. But moments later, disaster unfolded. The heartbroken dad dived into the water to try and save them. Emergency crews rushed to the scene but were tragically unable to save the siblings, aged just 11 and 13. Shanice's sister Macalia Del Brocco, 46, said: "She (Shanice) came back out (from the toilet), she couldn't see any of them. At that point, she panicked. And it was at that point the police arrived and things started happening. Then it hit what was happening. It was obviously the children that were in the water." Ricardo Snr also had to be pulled from the sea after swallowing "a lot of water" and was left exhausted. Medics managed to resuscitate him on the beach. Macalia described 11-year-old Ricardo as 'the softest, sweetest, gentlest boy you could wish to meet' who 'dreamed of being a YouTuber'. Big sister Ameiya, 13, was 'a unique character' who loved fashion and athletics, and acted like a 'second mum' to her younger brothers and sisters. She praised hotel staff for their kindness, saying they had been 'absolutely beautiful' in supporting the grief-stricken family from Birmingham. One sibling, six-year-old Casius, had an emotional conversation with Macalia, telling his aunt "Juby went to heaven in a helicopter". Talking to the Mail Online, Macalia continued: "He told me 'Did you know Maya and Jubs are in heaven now? Juby went to heaven in a helicopter'. "So that's his understanding of it, which is bittersweet, because that was what he saw. And it's beautiful that he thinks that's what happened, but very sadly tragic at the same time." The family have now raised more than £18,000 through a GoFundMe page to help bring the children's bodies home and support the parents through the unimaginable loss. Relatives, including the siblings' gran, flew out to Spain on Wednesday. Macalia continued: "Ricardo is feeling, obviously, very pained because he was in the water with them, so that's going to be hitting him hard. "That's not going to disappear from his mind. It's going to be a lot of trauma mentally for him to deal with. But families pull together, and there will be support all the way around." Paying tribute to the siblings, Macalia described their inseparable bond and adoration for another. She said: "They would fight like cat and dog at times, but they adored each other. "Maya was about to go into year nine. Very, very bright girl, even when we think she's not doing her homework, she obviously is, because her report we got at the end of summer was amazing. "She is very, very athletic. Very determined individual. When she wanted something she was adamant she was going to get it. She was very as a character, she was very sarcastic and humorous."
Daily Record
2 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Why dead woman had 26 iPhones glued to her body theory emerges
Investigators have shared a new theory about why a young woman who sadly died was found to have 26 iPhones stuck to her body after resuscitation attempts. A new theory over why a dead woman was found with 26 iPhones glued to her body has emerged. Brazilian investigators were stunned to find the dead woman, 20, with dozens of mobile phones stuck to her body, reports the Mirror. She died on July 29 after she became ill on a bus which stopped at a restaurant in the city of Guarupuava in the central region of Paraná. She suffered a cardiac arrest before a resuscitation was attempted for 45 minutes. Following her death, investigators found packages stuck to her body, along with mobile phones and drinks that were hidden in her luggage. A new theory has now emerged suggesting the woman had been smuggling items before her death. Investigators said the items found on her body reinforced the hypothesis of illegal trafficking. The woman's body was sent to the Forensic Medical Institute with the seized items being taken to the headquarters of the federal police, which is now investigating the case. Reports following her death said the woman displayed symptoms that were consistent with a post-seizure and that she had suffered respiratory distress. Her heart then stopped and she stopped breathing. Sniffer dogs found no drugs on her person and experts for the Civil Police were called to investigate. "The Paraná Civil Police are investigating the case and awaiting the conclusion of forensic reports to clarify the cause of death," police said according to Brazilian news outlet Globo. "According to preliminary information, the woman, who was alone, was traveling from Foz do Iguaçu to São Paulo. The 26 cell phones that were glued to her body were seized and sent to the Federal Revenue Service," police said according to Brazilian news outlet Globo." The identity of the woman has not been released by authorities. An investigation remains ongoing. It comes after Brazilian journalist Clara Nery suffered a shocking incident as she prepared to report live on camera. The TV correspondent for the Band network, Clara was mugged on a pavement in Botafogo, in southern Rio de Janeiro. In the shocking clip, Clara could be seen typing intently on her phone in the run up to the live broadcast, as a man on a motorbike appears in the background and slowly closes in on the reporter. While driving past Clara, the assailant could be seen reaching out and swiping the journalist's phone from her hand. The footage then showed Clara screaming in shock and swearing before she lunged to get her phone. She later said: 'I had my back turned when this man rode by on a motorcycle on the sidewalk and tried to take my phone. In the video, you can see the moment he puts his hand on my phone and takes it from me. 'Luckily, and despite his lack of skill, I managed to retrieve the phone. But we already have the security camera footage, the camera that managed to focus on his face.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
