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Here’s where things stand on Saturday 19 July 2025:
- Donald Trump threatens to sue media tycoon Rupert Murdoch after the Wall Street Journal reports allegations that Trump’s name appeared on a “bawdy” 2003 birthday card to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
- The US president says the story is “false, malicious, and defamatory”
- Trump also asks for the release of court documents relating to Epstein – this timeline explains how we got here
- His Attorney General Pam Bondi says they are ready to unseal grand jury transcripts on Friday – but it could take some time for a judge to release the documents
- During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to release files relating to Epstein and has faced mounting pressure from his own supporters to share new information
White House hands out ‘week of wins’ packet
I’m still at the White House, sitting at the BBC’s desk in an extremely cold basement alongside a handful of other reporters.
Just a few moments ago, several cheerful young White House staffers popped down to hand out a six-page document, on White House letterhead, entitled “President Trump’s Week of Wins”.
The document is, essentially, an extremely long list of news items the White House sees as being positive, with sub-categories including “Making America Wealthy Again”, “Securing the Border and Deporting Illegal Criminals” and “Cutting Wasteful Spending and Saving Taxpayer Dollars”.
These lists are sent out via email with some frequency, but this is the first time I’ve actually been handed a hard copy despite being here four or five days a week.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also posts a weekly “MAGA minute” in which she details various items the White House sees as successes.
While Trump himself posted about Epstein earlier today – and we may hear from him later – staff here have largely avoided the topic today.
Trump needs to be ‘more transparent’ about Epstein, Tennessee man says
I’ve been talking to people at the National Mall in Washington DC, asking them their thoughts on the Jeffrey Epstein controversy.
James from Tennessee tells me he hopes Donald Trump will be more open and transparent about the Epstein files.
“Earlier on in the campaign, we heard it’s all going to come out, the Epstein files, we’re all going to see all these names, the flight logs and all this stuff and then fast forward to now, [it’s a] closed book,” he says. “What happened?”
He says that Trump needs to “get back to being more transparent” on this topic, adding that the grand jury testimony could quell some of the concerns.
“Just be open and honest with everyone,” he says.
As we’ve been reporting, Attorney General Pam Bondi says they are ready to unseal grand jury transcripts on Friday. But it could take quite some time before those documents are made public.
What you need to knowpublished at 18:4218:42
If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:
Trump’s request: Yesterday, US President Donald Trump asked for the release of court documents relating to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Attorney General Pam Bondi said they were ready to unseal grand jury transcripts today – but it could actually take much longer for a judge to release the documents.
A ‘bawdy’ note?: The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Trump’s name appeared on a “bawdy” 2003 personal note to Epstein, a claim the president has since called “fake”.
Murdoch under fire: He also hit out at media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and “his pile of garbage newspaper” the Wall Street Journal. He threatened to sue the media tycoon and the newspaper over the story, describing it as “false, malicious, and defamatory”.
Could the House hold the cards?: Members of the US House of Representatives could be asked to vote on whether to release the documents relating to the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.
Risky strategy: Trump is left with the problem of trying to prove a negative. And for the moment, some of his supporters aren’t buying it, writes BBC.
What’s next?: We’re expecting to hear from Trump later today during a ceremony signing new cryptocurrency legislation into law, but there’s no guarantee he’ll speak about Epstein.
Why is the Epstein case such a long-running Maga obsession?
It might seem odd that out of everything that has happened in the first six months of Donald Trump’s second term, it’s a years-old investigation of a dead sex offender that has sparked such turmoil in the Maga universe.
But for some of Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters, this case is about much more than terrible crimes carried out by a powerful man.
They see the continued questions swirling around Epstein as prime evidence of their belief in a “deep state” that is plotting against ordinary Americans.
This conspiratorial world view is a major strain of Maga thought. And the very real Epstein case has been subsumed into broader and less factual narratives – such as Pizzagate, the false claim that a child sex abuse ring was being run out of a Washington restaurant, and QAnon, the sprawling interactive conspiracy theory that posits that the world is being run by an elite Satanic cabal.
Maga influencer Jack Posobiec, who himself initially gained fame spreading Pizzagate rumours, recently explained the views of his audience on a podcast.
“It’s not that they care about Epstein personally,” he said. “It’s that they care that there’s this optic that Epstein was somehow involved with a shadowy system that actually has control over our government, control over our institutions, control of our lives, and really is a ruling power over us.”
Posobiec is just one of a host of Maga influencers who can usually be counted on to support pretty much anything the president says or does – but who are now frustrated with the Trump administration and asking tough questions about the Epstein case.
Trump and Murdoch: A complicated relationship
As we’ve been reporting, Donald Trump has threatened to sue media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal after it reported that the president’s name appeared on a “bawdy” 2003 personal note to Epstein. Trump denies this.
The Wall Street Journal’s reporting on the Epstein case has pitted Trump against Rupert Murdoch – a man with whom the US president has had a long and complicated relationship.
The two have known each other for decades, and the 94-year-old media tycoon’s media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.
By the time of Trump’s unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid, Murdoch appears to have grown wary of him.
“We want to make Trump a non-person,” Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox’s role in the 2020 election.
Trump’s more recent victory in 2024 seems to have brought the two men together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as “a class by himself” and “an amazing guy”.
The clash over the Epstein story also comes just days after Murdoch was reportedly among those at Trump’s side at the Club World Cup final in New Jersey.
Democratic lawmaker says Trump’s call to release more Epstein files is a ‘red herring’
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Democrat from California, told the BBC in a written statement that “it is fascinating that Republicans are having a meltdown over exposing the truth”.
“Why they would want to continue to cover for a rich and powerful man who preyed on young women is beyond me,” she adds.
“Trump and Bondi’s claim that they will release credible, verified grand jury testimony is a red herring,” she says, adding that “it means nothing”.
“Release the damn files and stop hiding behind legal vernacular,” the statement concludes.
Representatives launch effort to secure vote on releasing Epstein files
Members of the US House of Representatives could be asked to vote on whether to release the documents relating to the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.
Representatives Thomas Massie (Kentucky’s Republican representative) and Ro Khanna (California’s Democrat representative) have proposed a so-called “discharge petition”, which has been dubbed the “Epstein Files Transparency Act”.
It would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to “make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices” relating to Epstein.
The proposed resolution has already gained the support of 15 bipartisan co-sponsors, external, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
To bypass House leadership the petition needs to reach 218 signatures – however, the Congress website notes that “discharge is designed to be difficult to accomplish and has rarely been used successfully”.
‘Americans want answers’: Republican pressure group pushes Trump on Epstein
Donald Trump is facing an unusual amount of pressure from his own supporters to release documents on Jeffrey Epstein.
One Republican pressure group has even resorted to pushing its message on a Times Square billboard.
“Why won’t Trump release the Epstein files? Americans want answers,” a huge ad from Republican Accountability in the popular New York hotspot reads.
In a statement, the Republican pressure group suggests that Trump “is trying to shut this down by ordering Republicans to stop asking questions about the Epstein files”.
“But the more he rants, the more Americans want to know what his administration is hiding,” the statement adds.
Trump supporters ‘have faith’ he will release Epstein files
The demands for the Trump administration to release Jeffrey Epstein files has sent Washington into a frenzy.
But on the ground in north-east Pennsylvania, Trump’s supporters believe their president would ultimately handle the situation.
Vice-President JD Vance visited the town of West Pittston this week, and received a warm welcome from supporters.
“When he’s ready, he’ll let them out,” Ed DeLucca, 72, tells me. He says he hopes Trump will bring the documents to light.
“There’s a reason for it,” he adds on the delay. “They’ll come out.”
Voters like Chrissy Matticks were far more focused on the economy and the border, and gave the president high marks for his policies – including the controversial roundups and deportations of undocumented immigrants.
“I’d say, to our Maga base: Have faith in President Trump,” she tells me.
That’s not to say everyone in West Pittston was sanguine about the files. Steven Taylor, a truck driver, told CBS News that Trump needed to prioritise the release of the files.
“We didn’t ask for it. And now we want it. We demand it.”
Trump’s son calls Wall Street Journal article ‘insanity’
“My father has a very specific way of speaking. People all over the world have mimicked it for decades,” Donald Trump Jr says in a post on X.
He’s coming to the defence of his father, over the Wall Street Journal article which alleges Trump sent a lewd personal birthday note to Epstein in 2003.
It reportedly contains a joking reference that “enigmas never age” and allegedly ends with the words: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The newspaper says the card allegedly had a lewd drawing in it, done by heavy marker.
“The insanity written in the Wall Street Journal, AIN’T IT and everyone knows it. Also in 47 years I’ve never seen him doodle once. Give me a break with the fake ‘journalisming'”, Trump Jr adds in response.
He is quoting a post that says Trump has never used the word “enigma” before, however video footage shows him saying the word in 2015.
What’s on Trump’s agenda today?
I’ve just arrived at the White House, where reporters are starting to trickle in. Epstein is, unsurprisingly, the topic of conversation in the press area today.
We’ve not yet heard from President Trump in-person or on-camera this morning.
At 13:30 EST (18:30 BST), he’s scheduled to preside over the swearing-in of Billy Long – the new commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
At the moment, this is a closed event – although we’ve previously seen similar events open up to the White House press pool with little warning.
Later on, he’ll be at a ceremony signing new cryptocurrency legislation into law. At that event reporters, including from the BBC, will be in the room. There is no guarantee, however, that he’ll speak about Epstein.
Epstein, however, is clearly on his mind – making it entirely possible that he will want to address the issue directly.
Trump hits out at Murdoch and Wall Street Journal
Donald Trump has hit out at Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) after an article from the newspaper reported that the president’s name appeared on a “bawdy” 2003 personal note to Epstein.
The note, which the newspaper claims was sent on Epstein’s 50th birthday, has been called “fake” by Trump.
Now, in a social media post, Trump writes: “I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!”
Trump previously said the newspaper and owner Rupert Murdoch “were warned directly” they would be sued if they printed the story, describing it as “false, malicious, and defamatory”.
Trump’s request to release court documents is ‘unusual’, former federal prosecutor says
A former federal prosecutor says Trump’s request for the justice department to release court documents relating to the Epstein case is “unusual”.
Mitchell Epner, a partner at the New York law firm Kudman Trachten Aloe Posner, says: “I’ve been in and around federal criminal cases for over 30 years. I’ve never heard of this before.”
While the details and scope of the government’s request is unknown, Epner tells CBS News that it could encompass an “enormous quantity of data”.
Epner adds that material will not be released immediately, he says it is ‘”likely” it will take months for the court documents to be released.
“I would not be surprised if a number of people came forward under pseudonyms to object to the release of grand jury material related to them,” he says.
“I also would not be surprised if some of the victims…came forward and said, ‘Yes, we do want things to be revealed.'”
JD Vance hits out at Epstein letter report
Yesterday, Vice-President JD Vance said the Wall Street Journal should be “ashamed” for publishing an article alleging that a lewd birthday greeting bearing Donald Trump’s name was sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
“The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?” he says on X.
Trump has denied the contents of the WSJ report, saying: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
Epstein had no incriminating ‘client list’, US justice department finds
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI have concluded that Epstein had “no incriminating client list” that could implicate high-profile associates.
Their joint review, released on 7 July, comes after speculation spread online that there was a list of Epstein’s clients waiting to be released.
Fuel was added to these theories by some comments from prominent members of the Trump administration, after the president pledged in his campaign to declassify Epstein files including the much-anticipated “list”.
Back in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that she had a list of Epstein’s clients “sitting on my desk right now”. The White House later clarified that she was referring to files relating to Epstein’s crimes.
And, before the 2024 US presidential election, Vice-President JD Vance said “we need to release the Epstein list” during an interview with podcaster Theo Von.
The joint review from the DoJ and FBI also said there was “no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions”.
Risky strategy for Trump as he escalates Epstein row with loyal supporters
Calls for more information to be released on Jeffrey Epstein have met support on both sides of the American political spectrum – a rare challenge to Donald Trump’s leadership from some of the president’s most loyal supporters.
It’s also a rare source of consensus among the American public.
A YouGov poll indicated that 79% of Americans want the government to release “all documents it has”.
That included 75% of Republican respondents and 85% of Democrats.
And, with remarks in the Oval Office where he blamed his own side – saying some “stupid Republicans… have fallen into the net” – Trump is drawing battle lines on the Epstein issue that divides his political base.
Trump’s success has been powered by two central messages to his supporters – that he’s an outsider who fights against a corrupt establishment and that he tells it like it is.
At a time when many voters say they are tired of polished politicians with shifting views, Trump’s base sees him as authentic – unvarnished and controversial, yes, but honest.
His shifting comments – that the Epstein files should be released, that there are no files, that any possible files are hoaxes – also make him seem less like a straight-shooter and more like a man with something to hide.
He’s left with the problem of trying to prove a negative. And for the moment, some of his supporters aren’t buying it.
Trump says Democrats had years to release Epstein files and ‘had nothing’
We’ve just heard from Donald Trump, as calls grow for the release of court files concerning Jeffrey Epstein.
In a social media post, he says: “If there was a ‘smoking gun’ on Epstein, why didn’t the Dems, who controlled the ‘files’ for four years, and had Garland and Comey in charge, use it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!”
As a reminder, a judge will need to make the final decision on whether material can be released, which could take some time and is unlikely to be immediate.
Donald Trump’s history of drawing
As we’ve been reporting, Trump has threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for publishing a story claiming his name appeared on a “bawdy” 2003 birthday card to Epstein.
The card allegedly “contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand drawn with a heavy marker”, the publication reports.
Writing on Truth Social, the US president dismissed the card as a “FAKE” – adding that “these are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures”.
He said he intends to sue the WSJ, saying the story was “false, malicious, and defamatory”.
While the veracity of the purported birthday card has yet to be confirmed, what is well-documented is Trump’s history of doodling.
In his 2008 book Never Give Up, he spoke about offering up some of his doodles for charity to raise funds for the hungry:
Quote Message
“It takes me a few minutes to draw something, in my case, it’s usually a building or a cityscape of skyscrapers, and then sign my name, but it raises thousands of dollars to help the hungry in New York through the Capuchin Food Pantries Ministry“
And in the past decade, several doodles attributed to the US president have hit the auction circuit, fetching thousands.
Trump backers split over Epstein files as they call for transparency
Demands for the release of court documents relating to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein have also been coming from Trump’s supporters.
As US Vice-President JD Vance arrived in West Pittson, Pennsylvania, he was greeted by a sign reading: “WHERE IS THE LIST???” – a reference to Epstein’s purported client list.
During his presidential campaign Trump promised to declassify Epstein files, including the much-anticipated “list”.
“We put you in office, you ran on this platform,” truck driver and Trump supporter Steven Taylor told the BBC. “We didn’t ask for it. And now we want it. We demand it. There needs to be accountability. There needs to be justice.”
Others remain confident the files will be released. Ed DeLucca, 72, said that when Trump “is ready, he’ll let them out”.
“There’s a reason for it. They’ll come out,” he added before saying that Maga factions warring over the Epstein files need to “make peace” first.
And some are pinning the blame for the growing pressure on Democrats for failing to declassify more details earlier.
“I don’t care. Democrats should have released it when Biden was president,” Chrissy Matticks told the BBC. “Democrats are just using it as a political football.”
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
Before he became the central figure in a high-profile sex trafficking case, Jeffrey Epstein was a maths teacher and powerful financier in New York City.
Courting the rich and famous with private jets and lavish parties in the 1980s, Epstein’s business grew to manage hundreds of millions of dollars in clients’ assets.
Among the celebrities he socialised with were US President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.
“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002, external.
In 2005, the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home. He avoided federal charges and instead received an 18-month prison sentence.
Since 2008, Epstein had been listed as a level three on the New York sex offenders register. It was a lifelong designation meaning he was at a high risk of reoffending.
In July 2019, he was arrested in New York on sex trafficking charges, accused of running “a vast network” of underage girls for sex.
After being denied bail, he was held in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he was found dead in his cell months later.
How Republicans are reacting
US President Donald Trump is facing a mixture of backlash and support over the handling of the Epstein files issue, including from his often loyal political base.
On Thursday, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said: “If President Trump was guilty of anything regarding Jeffrey Epstein, Democrats would have used it against him the past 4 years.”
She also thanked Pam Bondi and Donald Trump, reacting to their announcement that they will unseal grand jury transcripts.
Meanwhile, representative Thomas Massie said on X: “Folks, keep the pressure on, it’s working. But we want all the files.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday the justice department should release all of its information on the disgraced sex offender.
On Wednesday, he walked back on these comments, saying his words were “misrepresented”, and he was clear he was “saying the same thing as the president” and only wants “credible information” released.
Another conservative Republican, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, said on Tuesday the “American people deserve and can handle the truth. Let’s see the files”.
But other influential Republicans – including senator John Thune and congressman Jim Jordan – deferred to Trump on the matter.
Trump denies report he wrote Epstein lewd birthday note
These latest developments come shortly after Trump said he would sue the Wall Street Journal over an article alleging that a “bawdy” birthday greeting bearing his name was sent to Epstein in 2003, before the late financier was charged with sex crimes.
The letter, which the newspaper claims was sent on Epstein’s 50th birthday, has been decried by Trump as a “fake”.
In a post, Trump says the newspaper and owner Rupert Murdoch “were warned directly” they would be sued if they printed the story, describing it as “false, malicious, and defamatory”.
According to the newspaper, a letter bearing Trump’s name “contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker”.
“Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person,” the paper reports.
It reportedly contains a joking reference that “Enigmas never age” and allegedly ends with the words: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” Trump said on social media in response to the story.
According to the WSJ, the letter was part of a compilation of birthday greetings that was put together by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of helping Epstein to sex-traffic children and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
A timeline of how we got here
While campaigning for the presidency, Donald Trump promised to disclose as yet unreleased files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, after conspiracy theories about them swirled online for years.
Since Trump’s return to office in January, some supporters have grown frustrated with his administration’s handling of this pledge.
Here’s a look back at the key dates since:
21 February
Attorney General Pam Bondi tells Fox News that a list of Epstein’s clients is “sitting on my desk right now”. The White House later says she was referring to all the files related to Epstein’s crimes.
28 February
Bondi accuses federal investigators of withholding thousands of documents related to Epstein, and asks the FBI to release all the information.
26 April
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual assault, dies by suicide aged 41, her family says. The prince has long denied any wrongdoing.
6 June
Tech billionaire Elon Musk posts on X that Trump is “in the Epstein files”, referring to court documents and evidence thought to have been collected by investigators. The White House rubbishes the post, which Musk deletes.
7 July
The US Department of Justice and FBI conclude in a report that Epstein did not have a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – contradicting long-held conspiracy theories.
17 July
Trump asks Bondi to release “any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony” on Jeffrey Epstein, after what he calls a “ridiculous amount of publicity”.
What has Trump said?
On Thursday, Donald Trump said he had asked his attorney general to “produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony” relating to Jeffrey Epstein, “subject to court approval”.
It’s unclear whether he was referring to the first set of cases concerning Epstein in the early 2000s or federal charges brought in 2019. The BBC has enquired with the White House.
On Tuesday, Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible” on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He also questioned the public fascination with the case, describing it as “sordid but boring”.
The president is facing a rare backlash from supporters after seeking to draw a line under the disgraced financier’s case. Over the weekend, Trump urged his supporters not to “waste time and energy” on the controversy.
However, allies of the president, including House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, are calling for “transparency”.
Last week, a memo released by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI concluded Epstein did not have a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – contrary to conspiracies.
During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to declassify Epstein files, including the much-anticipated “list”.
Trump orders release of Epstein files as pressure grows
Overnight, the US president said he had ordered the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to release more court documents relating to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, following pressure from some of his most loyal supporters.
In response, Attorney General Pam Bondi said: “We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
It’s unclear if they are referring to the first set of cases concerning Epstein from the early 2000s, or federal charges brought in 2019 – we’ve asked the White House.
It also doesn’t mean we will necessarily see anything released today.
Last week, Bondi said the DoJ did not believe Epstein had a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – contrary to long-held conspiracies.
The US president’s decision came shortly after he said he would sue the Wall Street Journal after it reported that Trump’s name appeared on a “bawdy” 2003 birthday note to Epstein. It “contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker,” the publication reports.
“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” Trump said.
Stay with us for further updates.