Trump says he doesn’t draw, in relation to Epstein letter, but auctioned sketches suggest otherwise

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has publicly denied that he draws, but numerous examples of his sketches have been sold at auction over the years, many dating from his time as a New York real estate developer, the New York Times said on Friday (Jul 18).

Drawings attributed to Trump, typically simple cityscapes or landmarks rendered in black marker and signed with his name, were donated to various charities in the early 2000s and have fetched thousands of dollars in later sales, the paper added. In his 2008 book “Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges Into Success”, however, Trump acknowledged his artistic contributions.

The focus on drawings comes as President Trump is under pressure, including from his supporters, to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Justice Department had announced last week it would not release any more evidence about the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, who killed himself behind bars while awaiting trial in 2019.

TRUMP SUING WSJ OVER EPSTEIN LETTER LINK

On Thursday, reporting by the Wall Street Journal described a sexually suggestive letter and an explicit drawing that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name, which was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory.”

“I don’t draw pictures,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this week, disputing a Wall Street Journal report about a 2003 birthday greeting for late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that bore Trump’s name and featured a sexually suggestive drawing.

On Friday, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and its owners, including Rupert Murdoch, seeking at least $10 billion in damages over the report.