Do Americans believe Trump sent Epstein a birthday letter? What a new poll found
Many are also convinced the men were 'close friends' and that Trump knew about Epstein's alleged crimes before they became public.
The poll comes as the president has faced scrutiny over his administration's handling of an investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender, who was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019.
Here is a breakdown of the results.
The Wall Street Journal report
The Wall Street Journal report, published on July 17, alleged Trump wrote a 'bawdy' letter to Epstein, which was included in an album assembled by Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday in 2003.
The typewritten letter, arranged inside a sketch of a nude woman's silhouette, concluded with the message: 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.'
In response, Trump said the letter was fake, writing on Truth Social, 'These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures.' He then filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper's publisher, Dow Jones & Company, and its owner, News Corp.
However, many Americans are inclined to believe the report, according to polling.
In the poll, close to half of respondents, 46%, said they think The Wall Street Journal report is completely or mostly true.
Meanwhile, just 10% said they consider it to be completely or mostly false. An additional 27% said they hadn't heard of it, and 17% said they were not sure.
Trump-Epstein relationship
A plurality of Americans also believe Trump and Epstein were once deeply connected.
Forty-two percent said they think the pair were 'close friends' when their relationship was at its strongest point.
Meanwhile, 16% said they were 'friends, but not close,' and 21% said the two were 'acquaintances.' Just 2% described them as 'strangers' or 'enemies,' and 19% said they were not sure.
Epstein himself — in a 2017 interview with author Michael Wolff — said he was Trump's 'closest friend.' The pair moved in similar social circles in New York and Florida and were photographed at events together, including at Mar-a-Lago, in the 1990s and early 2000s.
And in 2002, Trump told New York Magazine, 'I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy.' However, more recently, he has distanced himself from the disgraced financier.
In 2019, after Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking minors, the president said, 'I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him in 15 years. I wasn't a fan.'
Importance of Epstein story
The survey — which sampled 3,406 U.S. adults on July 18 — also asked respondents: 'How important do you think the story of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is?'
A plurality, 45%, said they believe the story is 'very important,' while 28% described it as 'somewhat important.'
An additional 10% said it is 'not very important,' and 8% said it is 'not at all important.' Nine percent said they were not sure, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
The story was thrown back into the national spotlight in early July, when the Department of Justice released a memo claiming it had found no evidence of an Epstein 'client list' and no evidence sufficient to charge third parties.
The revelations contradicted previous statements from some top administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, who told Fox News in February that Epstein's client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.'
While on the campaign trail, Trump himself also expressed a willingness to release documents related to Epstein.
'I'd certainly take a look at it,' then-candidate Trump said during a podcast interview. 'I'd be inclined to do the Epstein, I'd have no problem with it.'
But, his tune has shifted since then. When asked by a reporter about the accused sex trafficker on July 9, Trump said, 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. This creep? That is unbelievable.'
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