Trump sketch goes up for auction amid drawing denial

A hand-drawn sketch by Donald Trump has surfaced at auction, and the timing couldn’t be worse for the president, who is in the midst of an ongoing scandal about his relationship with predator Jeffrey Epstein. The doodle — a drawing of the Manhattan skyline — is currently up for sale through Iconic Auctions, with a minimum bid of $3,000 as of July 30, Knewz.com can reveal. But while the auction house is marketing the image as a rare and collectible piece of presidential memorabilia, the bigger headline may be what the doodle contradicts: Trump’s own denials.

After a The Wall Street Journal report revealed Trump sent a tawdry birthday note and doodle to Epstein — the convicted offender whose 2003 birthday bash drew a who’s who of elite guests, including Trump and Bill Clinton – the president has gone into damage control. In response to the report, Trump told the outlet, “I don’t draw pictures,” denying that he had anything to do with the illustration attached to the note. But now, the newly surfaced drawing up for auction directly contradicts his claim and begs the question about how deep his connection to Epstein was.

The note from Trump to Epstein featured a hand-drawn image and was signed by Trump with the now-infamous message, “We have certain things in common.” Now, the new image drawn and signed by Trump on behalf of the “Doodle For Hunger” Charity has surfaced on the auction block by an anonymous seller, directly undermining his claim. The piece is currently up for sale on Iconic Auctions, with bidding already up to $3,000 and set to close on August 2.

While Trump has since attempted to distance himself from Epstein, claiming they fell out “many years ago,” new information continues to surface including witness testimony placing Trump in disturbing proximity to Epstein’s accusers. Despite Trump’s public insistence that Epstein was and had been “banned” from Mar-a-Lago, records and reports suggest otherwise. Epstein remained an active member of the Mar-a-Lago club for years after Trump claimed to have cut ties with him. One source even alleged that Epstein used the club as a base to “steal young women,” exploiting his proximity to power to groom victims in plain sight.

Meanwhile, Trump has lashed out at media coverage of the resurfaced birthday letter and filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal over the report. But with new evidence like the auctioned doodle emerging, Trump’s denials and his carefully curated narrative appear shakier than ever.