Several close allies of Donald Trump, including tech billionaire Elon Musk and Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance, have criticised the Wall Street Journal over a recent report involving Jeffrey Epstein and the US President.
The report claimed that Trump once sent Epstein a birthday letter for his 50th birthday. “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the alleged message said, and reportedly included a drawing of a naked woman. Below the drawing, Trump was said to have signed his name with an inappropriate design.
Trump has denied writing the letter, saying the message and the story are fake. “This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story,” he told the paper.
‘Sounds bogus’: Musk backs Trump
The report has triggered strong backlash from Trump supporters. Backing Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk dismissed the report, saying, “Yeah, the letter sounds bogus”. He wrote this on X while replying to media personality Megyn Kelly, who had earlier raised doubts about the report’s accuracy.
‘This story is complete and utter bull****’: JD Vance
US Vice President JD Vance called out the WSJ report and said the story is completely false and accused the newspaper of publishing it without sharing the letter with Trump first. He questioned whether it was ethical for the Wall Street Journal to publish such claims without giving Trump a chance to respond to the actual letter. Vance also said that the content did not match Trump’s usual writing style and called the story dishonest.
Other Trump supporters also came forward to challenge the claims. Conservative commentator Laura Loomer said the letter was clearly fake. She explained that Trump typically does not type letters or use email. Instead, he usually writes short messages by hand using a thick black marker. She said anyone who knows him would find the letter suspicious.
The story has added to ongoing tensions between Trump’s camp and some major media outlets. His allies argue that such reports are part of a long pattern of politically motivated attacks ahead of the election.
So far, the Wall Street Journal has stood by its reporting, but Trump’s supporters continue to demand proof of the letter’s existence.