The Trump-Epstein Enigma Code?
Plus: How you can tell if you are in a bubble.
Lordy, there really was a birthday card. And Donald Trump lied about it. But we knew that didn’t we?
Happy Tuesday (again).
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“Enigmas never age”
You might recall all the fervent passionate denials:
Whatever the pundits thought about the birthday card, Donald J. Trump clearly thought it was very much a BFD. Trump was so concerned about this story that he personally called Rupert Murdoch and the WSJ’s editor, Emma Tucker, to get it killed. (The good news? They didn’t blink.)
After it was published, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and Murdoch for $10 BILLION, claiming that the letter was “fake and nonexistent”.
And yet, here it is: in all of its smirky, smutty, cringey glory: Epstein Birthday Letter With Trump’s Signature Revealed - WSJ.
Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have given Congress a copy of the birthday book put together for the financier’s 50th birthday, which includes a letter with President Trump’s signature that he has said doesn’t exist.
On Monday, House Oversight Committee members confirmed that they received a copy of the birthday book including the letter bearing Trump’s signature and a second letter that references Trump with a crude joke about a woman from another Epstein associate.
MAGA’s usual minions are still bravely in denial, eyes wide shut.1 But even the most purblind apologists see what we see, even if they are duty-bound to pretend otherwise. There is Trump’s sharpie signature — and everybody this side of Stephen Miller knows it. Aaron Blake notes that “there are a bunch of ‘Donald’ signatures from the same era that look very much like the one on the Epstein letter.”
Hell, I even have my own sample — from the newspaper he sent me back in 2016:
But let’s go back to the content of the card itself, because I’m intrigued by the language, including one word in particular:
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything," the note begins.
"Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is," it continues.
"Nor will I, since I also know what it is," Jeffrey says.
Donald says, "We have certain things in common Jeffrey," and he responds, "Yes, we do, come to think of it."
Donald then says, "Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?" Jeffrey responds, "As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you."
It concludes with Donald telling Jeffrey: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump's full name is typed out above the "Donald" signature.
The word “creepy” is inadequate to describe this cringe-fest. But one word stands out here: “Enigma.”
What does it mean? Who are the “enigmas” who never age? Is Trump referring to himself and Epstein as riddles wrapped inside a mystery?
Or does it refer to something else? Maybe even a private code? Or joke?
When the story first broke, savvy observers noted that “enigma,” is an anagram for the word “gamine.” And what is a gamine?
“A young woman with a mischievous, boyish charm”
“A female street urchin”
“(Of a young woman) attractively boyish
Others have noted the anagram. “Could ‘enigma’ have been a code word for Epstein's underage victims?” asked one commentator.
There's no definitive evidence, but Epstein was intellectually capable and secretive enough to communicate in layered ways. The theme of secrecy runs through the note's language, especially its closing: "may every day be another wonderful secret."
In Epstein's world, secrets were everything - whether financial, social, or deeply criminal. A hidden anagram, woven subtly into a birthday message, would be hauntingly on-brand for a man who hid depravity behind wealthy charm and mathematical precision.
Since were going down this rabbit hole, it seems worth mentioning that “Enigma” was one of the most famous codes in history.
It was employed extensively by Nazi Germany during World War II, in all branches of the German military. The Enigma machine was considered so secure that it was used to encipher the most top-secret messages.
Exit take: Writes Tara Palmeri, “The release of Epstein’s birthday book backs up what I've been reporting for years, Epstein's elite friends were all in on the "joke" -- the dehumanization of girls.”
You might be in a bubble If…
(1) You haven’t heard about this story yet, or (2) You think this is most important story in America right now.
WARNING: It is graphic, horrific, and tragic. A young Ukrainian refugee was brutally murdered on a train in Charlotte, NC, by a man who never should have been loose on the streets.
The Girl on the Train Sasha Stone, Substack
A Random, Senseless Killing That Was Totally Avoidable Maya Sulkin, The Free Press
Iryna Zarutska, 23, had recently arrived in the United States from Ukraine and was “seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning,” according to her family. On August 22, she was looking at her phone on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, when the man sitting behind her stood up, pulled a knife out of his pocket, and stabbed her in the neck three times. “I got that white girl,” he can be heard saying over and over again. She was pronounced dead within minutes.
Video of the attack, released Friday, made it seem like a random, senseless, unexplainable tragedy. It actually was the opposite. It was completely avoidable.
The man charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, is a career criminal—a familiar term in America—with at least 14 previous arrests, including robbery and assault. …
This is what your conservative neighbors are seeing and hearing; and MAGA has made it the centerpiece of their anti-crime message. Via Axios:
MAGA influencers are drawing repeated attention to violent attacks to elevate the issue of urban crime — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases.
Shocking video of the fatal Aug. 22 knife attack on 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car in Charlotte, North Carolina, dominated weekend conversation on Trump-friendly social media.
A Trump adviser told Axios: "This is exactly what he's talking about, and it's going to be an issue he's going to highlight. This is not just about North Carolina. Other campaigns will deal with this."
Elon Musk repeatedly posted about the Charlotte case this weekend for his 225 million X followers.
Also commenting on X: White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Trump confidant Charlie Kirk, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley — a former chair of the national GOP — invoked the case to accuse his Democratic opponent, Gov. Roy Cooper, of being soft on crime.
Watch the pattern: Elon Musk, Ted Cruz, and others immediately pivoted from the crime itself to obsessive documentation of which outlets covered what. They produced spreadsheet-style accounting of story counts, comparing Zarutska coverage to Daniel Penny coverage with mathematical precision, creating detailed media audits that transformed human suffering into evidence for preexisting claims about liberal conspiracy.
But, as Brock notes, the crime raises real issues: the killer was a “violent offender who should never have been free to commit this act. The crime is genuinely outrageous. The questions it raises about repeat offender policies are legitimate. The failure of local authorities to protect innocent people is inexcusable.”
So, this is cautionary tale on several levels: It’s a reminder of how the right can effectively weaponize and nationalize crime; but it is also a reminder that Democrats should not ignore stories like this, because you cannot counter the arguments of the other side, if you do not know what those arguments are. And the stakes could hardly be higher right now.
The worst reaction? Pulling out the whiteboards with statistics on crime or defensively trying to explain or rationalize the case. This isn’t a time to channel your inner Michael Dukakis circa 1988.
The right reaction? Yes, you can point out the cynicism and hypocrisy of the politicians who are exploiting this tragedy. But you must also convince the public you share their outrage and anger; and explain what you intend to do to deal with repeat offenders and protect the innocent.
Exit take: If this is the first you are hearing about Iryna Zarutska, you should ask yourself why… and consider moving beyond the safe spaces that shield you from her story.
Tuesday afternoon dog
Auggie has taken over Eli’s bed for the moment.
WH spox Karoline Leavitt posted on X, "The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire 'Birthday Card' story is false. As I have said all along, it's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump's legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation. This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!"
I am confused - why is crime a “Dem mediated issue?”. Do republicans not live in Charlotte as well? Isn’t this a failure of mental health care access (assailant reported to have been a schizophrenic) coupled with rampant justice system failure?
“We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.”
And the band played on.