United States. "Not my signature": Trump denies authoring salacious letter to Epstein

Donald Trump assured on Tuesday that it was "not his signature" that appeared on a salacious birthday letter addressed to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, made public this week by the Democratic opposition , in a case that embarrasses the American president.

The letter, dating from 2003 and attributed to Donald Trump, was made public Monday by Democratic lawmakers, as the Epstein case, named after a wealthy New York financier who died in prison in 2019 before his trial for sex crimes, ignites the United States.

"It's absurd."

"That's not my signature and that's not my way of speaking. Anyone who's followed me for a long time knows that's not my way of expressing myself. It's absurd," the American president said during a brief exchange with the press outside a Washington restaurant. This is the first public reaction from the Republican leader since the letter was released.

It features a sketch of a female bust, with an imaginary exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, at the time two faces of the New York jet set. A signature appearing to be that of the future American president appears at the bottom of the text, in place of the drawn woman's pubis. "Happy birthday. May each day be another wonderful secret," the typed text concludes.

Earlier Tuesday, the White House said it supported using handwriting experts to assess the authenticity of signatures attributed to Donald Trump. "The president has one of the most recognizable signatures in the world, and that's been the case for many, many years," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing.

Check for $22,500

"The president did not write this letter. He did not sign this letter," she repeated. "That's why his legal team sued The Wall Street Journal ," which revealed the letter's existence in July. However, on Monday, The New York Times published several letters signed by Donald Trump from the late 1990s or early 2000s, the signatures of which bear a striking resemblance to the one on the 2003 letter.

Another document was released by the Democrats on Monday, a photo showing Jeffrey Epstein with several people, holding a giant check for $22,500, apparently signed by Donald Trump ("DJTRUMP"), along with text referring to the "sale" of a "completely devalued" woman.

"Did you see the signature on that check?" Karoline Leavitt asked. "That's not Donald Trump's signature. Absolutely not. The president did not sign that check," she insisted. The Epstein affair has been poisoning Donald Trump's presidency for weeks, particularly among his base, which is fueled by conspiracy theories that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered to prevent him from implicating high-profile figures.