A giant replica of a provocative birthday note that Donald Trump allegedly sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been erected on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The note appeared in Epstein’s 50th birthday book, which was put together by his associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003 for his birthday on January 20.
Highlights
- A 10-foot replica of Trump's alleged birthday note to Epstein, featuring a nude drawing, is displayed on the National Mall until Friday.
- Trump denies writing the note and is suing the Wall Street Journal over its July 2025 report on the birthday message.
- The Secret Handshake group invites visitors to add messages to the card, promoting artistic free speech on Trump and Epstein's relationship.
Trump has denied writing the message and is suing the Wall Street Journal over its reporting of the note in July of last year.
A massive replica of the alleged birthday note has been erected on the National Mall
Image credits: Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The 10-foot-tall art installation, created by a group called The Secret Handshake, will be on display until Friday.
It shows a drawing of a nude woman and allegedly has Trump’s signature below the waist to mimic pubic hair.
In the note, there is a fake conversation between Trump and Epstein. “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” one part written under “Donald” says.
“A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the note concludes.
The other side of the card reads, “Happy Birthday to a Terrific Guy!”
A plaque on top of the filing cabinet urges onlookers to sign the card with a message to the Trump administration, with Sharpies provided.
“Please refrain from any promotional, violent or hateful speech or it will be removed,” the message notes.
The group said they had exercised “creative and artistic free speech” when making the art to comment on “one of the most relevant political issues” in the permit application, The Washington Post reported.
Image credits: Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
They also wanted to “highlight the conversation about President Donald Trump’s friendship and relationship with Jeffrey Epstein using his own reported language and correspondence.”
“As well, to highlight the heavily redacted files that have been released and those that haven’t,” the group added.
Trump signed the Epstein Transparency Act in November after initial resistance and months of mounting pressure over the Epstein files.
The Act required the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI to release all records connected to Epstein by December 19, 2025.
However, less than 1% of the files have been released by the DOJ so far, with the department confirming last month that it had released 12,285 documents.
Less than 1% of the Epstein files have been released so far
Image credits: Tom Brenner/Getty Images
More than 2 million documents are still being reviewed, and the Act allows for limited redactions to protect victim identities and sensitive personal information.
The latest installation by The Secret Handshake comes after the group erected a 12-foot statue of Trump holding hands with Epstein on the National Mall in September.
“We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend’ Jeffrey Epstein,” a plaque at the base of the statue, painted to look like marble, read.
The statue, spray-painted bronze, depicted Trump and Epstein looking at each other and appearing jovial as they held hands and balanced on one foot.
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
There were two other plaques affixed to the bottom of the statue, with both quoting from Trump’s alleged note to Epstein for his 50th birthday book.
“We’re a very small group of citizens who are using art, irony, and humor to express social commentary and spark political conversation in public spaces,” the group said in a statement to USA Today at the time.
A representative for the artists also told ARTnews that the piece was symbolic because September is unofficially known as the month to celebrate friendship.
“We felt that Trump had quite a few friends throughout his life,” he said.
“One of his friends was Jeffrey Epstein, so we wanted to celebrate that with a statue of what that friendship might feel like.”