Did Epstein ‘sell’ a woman to Trump for $22,500?

A fresh batch of documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate has landed in the hands of the US Congress, and among them is a bizarre birthday keepsake that has reignited questions about Epstein’s ties with Donald Trump.

The scrapbook page, made for Epstein’s 50th birthday, shows him grinning beside a giant cheque signed “DJ TRUMP.” Beneath it, a handwritten caption suggests Epstein had “sold” a woman, crudely described as “fully depreciated”, to Trump for $22,500 (Rs 19.8 lakh).

Trump has spent the past two months denying he ever wrote in the scrapbook, dismissing the revelations as nothing more than a “Democrat Epstein hoax.” But the strange note and illustration have put their friendship back under the microscope.

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Here’s what we know

Did Trump ‘buy’ a woman from Epstein?

The latest documents, released by House Democrats, include a photograph of Epstein holding up a large novelty cheque made out for $22,500 (Rs 19.8 lakh). The oversized check was signed “DJTRUMP,” although it does not resemble Trump’s actual signature.

The undated photo comes from a 238-page “birthday book” compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003 by his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

In the version made public, the face of a woman standing beside Epstein has been blacked out, as has part of the handwritten caption, likely the person’s name.

According to The New York Times, the caption appears to have been written by Joel Pashcow, a former New York real estate executive whose name is listed in Epstein’s flight records. Pashcow has been described in public records as a Palm Beach resident, not far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, and as the managing member of Nassau Capital, a real estate and securities investment firm, since 2006.

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The Wall Street Journal, citing the woman’s lawyer, reported that she was a wealthy European in her 20s at the time, who cut off all ties with Epstein around 1997. Importantly, her lawyer said she did not have any romantic relationship with either Trump or Epstein.

So far, the White House has not commented on the latest release.

Trump’s ‘bawdy’ note for Epstein

The Democrats also published another page from the so-called birthday book, a cryptic illustrated note that appears to be an imagined dialogue between Trump and Epstein, set inside the outline of a woman’s body.

It begins with the line: “There must be more to life than having everything.”

Donald: “Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.”
Jeffrey: “Nor will I, since I also know what it is.”
Donald: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.”
Jeffrey: “Yes we do, come to think of it.”
Donald: “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?”
Jeffrey: “As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.”
Donald: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

At the bottom of the page is Trump’s name and a signature somewhat resembling his real one.

But Trump has flatly denied writing it. When The Wall Street Journal first reported on the note in July, Trump dismissed it as a fake, insisting, “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.” He has even sued the Murdoch-owned paper for $10 billion.

At times, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance have suggested the note might not even exist.

White House says Epstein’s ‘birthday book’ is false

After the latest publication, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down, calling the material fabricated.

“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 … This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!” she wrote on X.

Trump himself has repeatedly dismissed the entire controversy as a partisan smear campaign. Just last week, he wrote on Truth Social:

“The confused and badly failing Democrat Party did nothing about Jeffrey Epstein while he was alive except befriend him, socialise with him, travel to his island, and take his money! … Where were they during his very public trials, and for all of those years before his death? The answer is, nowhere to be found.”

It’s a sharp rebuttal that stands in contrast to his own past ties with Epstein. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, the two moved in the same social circles and were often photographed together at parties and New York society events. Trump has since claimed he cut ties with Epstein in the 2000s, though he was long vague about the reason.

In July, however, he told supporters the falling out stemmed from Epstein having “stolen” young women working at Mar-a-Lago, including Virginia Giuffre, the American-Australian victim of Epstein’s trafficking network who died by suicide earlier this year.

With input from agencies