Overview
- An activist group calling itself The Secret Handshake erected a 10-foot reproduction near the U.S. Capitol and invited visitors to add messages, with a posted warning that violent or offensive content will be removed.
- The piece replicates an alleged 2003 note bearing a sketch of a nude woman, a “Donald” signature, and the line “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and later released to the House Oversight Committee.
- Organizers say the installation is permitted to remain on the Mall through January 23 and provide Sharpies alongside a prop “files” display referencing the still-limited public releases.
- President Trump denies writing or drawing the note and has a pending defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on the document.
- The display coincides with continued calls for transparency as the Justice Department reports releasing about 12,285 Epstein-related documents—under 1% of the total—while reviewing more than two million records, and follows the group’s earlier Trump–Epstein statue in 2025.