On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published a series of letters given to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday, including a lewd card that was allegedly from Donald Trump.
According to the Journal, Trump wrote: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The article states that the message is next to a drawing of a naked woman, alongside the signature “Donald”.
Trump, however, denies that he wrote the card. “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” he said, according to the Wall Street Journal. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”
The US president is suing the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for $10bn, accusing the individuals of defamation.
But Trump may have underplayed his artistic capabilities. Since the early 2000s, the US president has donated a number of drawings to charities, including sketches of several New York City scenes.
Here’s a look at some of Trump’s drawings:
Money Tree
On December 17 2020, Leland Little auction house sold a drawing reportedly by Donald Trump referred to as “Money Tree Drawing”.
The ink and graphite sketch is signed “Donald Trump” in the lower right-hand corner in gold ink. It sold for $8,500.
Empire State Building
A black marker sketch of the Empire State Building, signed by Trump, was sold by Julien’s Auctions in 2017 for a whopping $16,000, exceeding the estimate of $8,000 to $12,000.
According to the LA auction house, Trump created the 12-by-9 inch drawing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for a 1995 charity auction, when it initially sold for under $100.
“During this time the Empire State Building occupied a great deal of Trump’s attention as he was attempting a takeover of the iconic New York City landmark and eventually brokered a deal for the sale of the building,” the listing reads.
George Washington Bridge
Trump is also said to have drawn the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey, in 2006.
The ink sketch was estimated to sell at Julien’s for $8,000 to $12,000, but it sold for a lower price of $4,480.
Manhattan skylines
Several of Trump’s sketches featured the same part of the Manhattan skyline. The above image depicts the Riverside South development project, which Trump led.
The gold marker sketch was originally donated by Trump to the Capuchin Food Pantries’ benefit in 2003 and was later auctioned at Sotheby’s.
In 2005, Trump drew another sketch of the Manhattan skyline, including yellow taxis and green trees. It was sold by Heritage Auctions on December 2 2017.
Trump drew a minimalist rendition of the Manhattan skyline in 2005, which was sold by Nate D. Sanders Auctions for $29,184 in 2017.
“It’s an extremely high price, and it’s pretty much unprecedented for a modern president,” Nate Sanders, the auction house founder, told The New York Times, “Trump has that ‘wow’ factor.”
