10-foot-tall replica of Trump’s alleged birthday message to Epstein appears on National Mall
People look at a protest art installation on the National Mall on January 19 in Washington
(CNN) — A giant reproduction of a birthday message bearing Donald Trump’s name that was included in a collection of letters gifted to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein decades ago has been erected on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
The work is most recent installation by a group that identifies itself as “The Secret Handshake.” One half of the 10-foot-tall installation is a replica of the note bearing Trump’s name that was part of a collection of letters gifted to Epstein in the early 2000s. The note contained an outline of a naked woman and a “Donald” signature, concluding with the line: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The other side of the card reads “Happy Birthday To A ‘Terrific Guy!’” Epstein’s birthday is January 20. A nearby plaque encourages onlookers to sign the card with a message to the Trump administration.
According to a statement from The Secret Handshake, the installation appeared overnight on Sunday and is permitted until Friday, January 23. CNN has reached out to the National Park Service for more details.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the note in July last year, and Trump has denied that he signed the letter and having a close relationship with Epstein. The president sued the paper over the story. Trump has also suggested someone else could’ve written it and signed his name.
Trump has not been accused of legal wrongdoing related to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The book’s contents, released in trove of documents by the The House Oversight Committee in September, spanned Epstein’s life before 50, from birth and Cub Scout documents to photos of art in his expensive private residences and black-and-white family portraits. The so-called “birthday book,” was compiled by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and also included extensive notes and photos about private moments and jokes.
The statue’s arrival on the National Mall comes as the administration faces pressure to continue to release more of the Epstein files. The Justice Department said earlier this month said that it had released 12,285 documents – less than 1% – of the files, with more than 2 million documents still being reviewed. Legislation signed into law last year had set a December 19, 2025 deadline to release all the Epstein-related files.
In the fall, The Secret Handshake collective erected a statue showing Trump and Epstein each with a foot kicked back and a hand flailing into the air, titled “Best Friends Forever.”
Other statues by The Secret Handshake have included “The Donald J. Trump Enduring Flame,” a bronze statue of a tiki torch, which appeared at Freedom Plaza to mock Trump’s defense of the marchers who attended a White supremacist rally in 2017. Another work on the National Mall, “Dictator Approved,” depicted a golden hand giving a thumbs up and crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown.
CNN’s Nicky Robertson, Emily Condon and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.
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