I think it's worth considering that Trump's disgusting doodle/message was actually a thinly-veiled threat. [View all]
According to Wolff, Epstein said he'd threatened to expose Trump's Russian money-laundering scheme over that Florida estate that both of them wanted, which was auctioned to Trump in 2004. It thus seems possible that at the time of the 50th b-day (2003), things were already strained between them.
I further think it's possible that the text of that conversation is a real one that they had, which Trump recorded. He then recounted that conversation on this 'card', inside the drawing of an under-aged girl, to let Epstein know that if he fucked with Trump over Russia, Trump would expose his activities with underage girls, and that he had recordings.
I always maintained I'm SURE "the files" will show that Trump knew what Epstein was up to, and that alone may be enough to be causing Trump's reaction/desire to make it all go away. Now that I see this card, I have to add to that theory the possibility that Trump tried to blackmail Epstein with that knowledge, so that his OWN criminality could continue.
That would DEFINITELY be a bad enough look on Trump that he would desperately want the story to go away. And why he'd want to keep Maxwell quiet by arranging for her to move to the country club jail.
I may be totally off, but I think it's worth considering as a possibility. They both knew each others (separate) secrets, and this is Trump saying 'be my pal, and I'll be yours (wink-wink)'.
On edit: Also recall that Trump's infamous 'on the younger side' quote from the New Yorker magazine interview was 2022. Looked at in the light I suggest above, perhaps that public utterance was meant as part of the same intimidation effort?
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