The DOJ released a photo of Epstein holding a 'novelty check' signed with Donald Trump's name, framed with 'Once in a Blue Moon' around the edge

The DOJ Published a Photo of Epstein Holding a Framed Check Signed by Donald Trump

In the December 2025 Epstein file release, the Department of Justice published an undated photograph showing Jeffrey Epstein holding a framed novelty check. The check appeared to bear Donald Trump's signature. Around the edge of the frame: the phrase *"Once in a Blue Moon."*

The Match

NBC News reported that the check in the DOJ photo **appears to be the same check** visible in a photograph included in the 2003 Maxwell-assembled birthday book for Epstein's 50th birthday. Two independent appearances of the same object, separated by two decades — one in a private album for Epstein's party, one in the official DOJ file release.

Novelty Check

"Novelty checks" are oversized decorative checks typically used for ceremonial purposes — lottery winners, charity donations, sports prize photo ops. They are not legal tender. A novelty check signed by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein framed with "Once in a Blue Moon" is not a business document. It is a gag gift, a memento, or a private joke between people with a relationship close enough to warrant framed decorative gifts.

The Question

There is no innocent reading where a novelty check signed by a sitting president is found framed in a convicted sex trafficker's possessions alongside a photograph of the two of them together at Mar-a-Lago. The objects in Epstein's collection tell a story about the relationships Epstein curated. The Trump items — the photograph, the framed check, the birthday book page — are consistent with a long, personal, ongoing friendship. The same friendship Melania denied on April 9, 2026.