‘A shot across the bow’: Trump writer says Epstein birthday book leaked as a warning to White House that more is coming

Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the Oval Office these last few weeks. Donald Trump has been lashing out in all directions as the evidence mounts that his friendship with the world’s most notorious pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, was far closer than he’d previously indicated.

The drama has seen Trump’s abrupt and suspicious U-turn on the release of the Epstein files, which either don’t exist or are a Democrat plot cooked up by a scheming Barack Obama. Now, after the publication of a jaw-dropping birthday message from Trump to Epstein about their “wonderful secrets”, the Trump administration is meeting with Epstein’s right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell.

It’s widely considered that a pardon or reduction in sentence may be on the cards for her. The conditions for her release are unknown, but let’s just say the President would be extremely pleased if you could confirm he’s squeaky clean on all things Epstein!

Now we may have some insight into what’s actually going on behind the scenes. Journalist Michael Wolff has written several best-selling books about the Trump administrations, most notably 2018’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Now, in a new interview, he’s laid out what he’s heard is going on:

NEW: Michael Wolff reveals the White House believes Ghislaine Maxwell’s family leaked Jeffrey Epstein’s “birthday book” to the Wall Street Journal to let Donald Trump know she has dirt on him. This is why the DOJ frantically met with her to find out what else she has on him and… pic.twitter.com/bVMyP6ftzo

— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) July 29, 2025

“In the White House they believe that the story in the Wall Street Journal about the salacious birthday greeting that Donald Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 on the occasion of his 50th birthday was a leak from the Maxwell family. In the White House they regarded this as a “shot across the bow”.

So, a threat that Ghislaine had damaging material on Donald Trump, so Donald Trump’s lawyer, who as it happens is also number 2 in the Justice Department, but who principally is Donald Trump’s own lawyer, went down to try and figure out exactly what Ghislaine Maxwell has. And then they would figure out how they might have to handle that.”

What does she have on him?

If true, it would be a bold move from Maxwell to try to blackmail the President of the United States into giving her a pardon. That said, Trump is clearly taking whatever Maxwell has to say incredibly seriously. He’s refused to deny that a pardon is on the table, and has sent his lawyer to quiz her on precisely what dirt she has on him.

It’s only logical that this means Maxwell currently has Trump precisely where she wants him. If she is blackmailing him, whatever that’s with must be so damning that it could threaten his presidency, or else he’d have casually flicked her away like an annoying fly.

That means he may currently be in a tough spot. Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell and face universal condemnation for freeing a convicted sex trafficker who participated in Epstein’s abuse, or keep her behind bars and see your own reputation trashed when whatever she’s holding over his head is made public. Whatever happens over the next weeks, expect drama.