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Jimmy Kimmel wished US President Donald Trump a happy birthday over Instagram on Sunday, posting a birthday card that resembled a note Trump allegedly addressed to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he turned 50.
The late-night host’s photo depicted a crude outline of what appears to be Trump’s physique, including fat flaps and the president’s signature neck folds, along with text inside the silhouette.
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The card reads: “Happy 80th Donald! A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
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The original letter
Kimmel’s post was inspired by a letter Trump reportedly sent to Epstein in 2005, the text of which was written inside the hand-drawn outline of a curvaceous female body. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released the letter in 2025.
The letter reads: “Voice Over: 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.”
The letter was reportedly part of a birthday greeting book compiled for Epstein.
Trump’s response to the original letter
Trump condemned the release of the letter as “false, malicious, and defamatory.” He also said, “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
Trump told the Wall Street Journal in July: “This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story. I never wrote picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”
The lawsuit and legal battles
Trump filed a defamation suit against the Wall Street Journal in response to the letter’s release. A judge dismissed that suit in April 2026. The Journal has since filed a motion requesting the dismissal of Trump’s revised lawsuit.
Trump, in May, refiled his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the WSJ for publishing the birthday card after his first attempt was thrown out in April.
Kimmel and the Trumps: A running feud
This is not the first time Kimmel has used the Epstein angle to take shots at the president.
First Lady Melania Trump held a surprise public address at the White House on April 9, apparently blindsiding husband Donald and other White House officials, in order to declare she had “never been friends with Epstein.” She told the press: “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.”
After Melania’s statement, Kimmel broadcast a photo of Donald and Melania posing together with Epstein on the April 9 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Kimmel said: “By the way, while you’re explaining how much you didn’t know Epstein, any particular reason you can think of that he had a picture of you guys on display at his house? Maybe this is the photo that came with the frame, I don’t know. I, for one, when I see this, I think, well, these two don’t know each other at all.”
Donald Trump told reporters after Melania’s address that he did not know she was going to make that statement. He also stressed that she did not know Epstein.
The bigger picture
The feud between Kimmel and the president reached another flashpoint in April when Kimmel made a joke about First Lady Melania Trump looking like an “expectant widow,” just two days before a failed assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC. The president called Kimmel’s joke “a despicable call to violence,” while Melania said his words are “corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”
The Epstein controversy has not faded from public discourse.
Trump turns 80 years old on June 14. His relationship with Epstein, and the ongoing legal battle with the Wall Street Journal, continue to follow him into his second term.
Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel vs Donald Trump free speech war explodes: Disney goes silent amid pressure storm
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