Activists put up a poster showing President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein near the US Embassy in London, Thursday, July 17, 2025.(AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
I’m in Canada doing my comic-monologue-one-man-show, “Emil Amok, 69.”
You say, is, that, ahem, a sex show, Emil?
Or maybe a show about age?
Well, as of last week’s version of my show, I do talk about Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump the news of the week, and that’s all about sex, and age.
So come out and see for yourself.
The hazards of doing a show based on current events were evident when the Epstein story blew up on Friday.
Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump shared a secret. That’s the implication of the exclusive Wall Street Journal report about a birthday letter Trump is said to have written and signed his name.
The letter as described by the Journal was salacious: “It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A small pair of arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.”
The letter ends: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
And the secret?
That Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein had a playboy’s penchant for some taboo activity?
The letter implies much more in a typewritten note that looks like lines in a theatrical script.
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note began according to the Journal.
Then the dialogue:
Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
This is all written in 2003 in time for Epstein’s 50th birthday, just three years before he was first arrested in 2006.
Trump denies he wrote anything. And even denies the existence of any letter. Trump has now sued the Wall Street Journal.
But other reports don’t look good for Trump.
The New York Times quotes Trump from around 2003 as saying: “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it—Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Should we care?
If you care about the character of the man who is in charge of our country, you bet we should care.
Epstein died in his jail cell awaiting trial in 2019 on sex trafficking charges.
His cohort Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving 20 years after her conviction of child sex trafficking and other offenses connected to Epstein.
Epstein’s dead, but had he lived, his being found innocent would have been highly unlikely.
More importantly, the real victims are all the young women subjected to abuse in the enterprise. The word is rape.
Don’t lose sight of that.
Even here in Canada those who follow the news are Epstein-obsessed.
Trump campaigned on the idea of releasing the Epstein files, a matter that appealed to conspiracy theorists who believe pedophilia is the worst crime imaginable and that the perps were elite, rich, Democrats.
That’s why they call them conspiracy theories.
And now we get a smattering of what is undoubtedly in the Epstein files.
It’s just a taste.
Trump’s MAGA supporters have been apoplectic about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcement that Epstein committed suicide in his jail cell, and that there was no Epstein client list more than a week ago.
At the time, as a non-MAGA observer, I cheered Bondi for finally telling the truth.
Hooray, right?
But the conspiracy driven MAGA folk want the files released. Trump, they say, was voted in because he wasn’t the “Deep State.” And now he appears as his own version of a not so deep state.
Trump’s even called the conspiracy a hoax and even attacked his own supporters as stupid.
For the first time, Trump, MAGA and Republicans are on the verge of an implosion.
You know it’s real because Trump can do nothing to distract.
Reopen Alcatraz?
Threaten to take away the citizenship of comedian Rosie O’Donnell.
Put out a report about his swollen legs and bruised hands from vein insufficiency?
That makes Trump a victim.
He likes to be a victim when times go bad.
Trump as of Friday said he’d release the grand jury files, which may not contain all that MAGA wants. It may not appease.
But now Democrats are joining Republicans demanding transparency. It makes sense to find out what’s there. And to find out more about the president’s past.
And that may be the most important development.
A divided America has united in their demand to find out more about the conspiracy theory of Jeffrey Epstein.
Filipino American question
But for Filipino Americans and other Asian Americans, there’s another issue that is more important.
Is this the thing that makes you finally dump Trump?
I’ve talked to Filipino Americans and Asian Americans in general about their love for Trump. It’s been a gradual evolution. But we know the reason Trump won last November is because of negative diversity.
Trump was able to siphon off enough Black and Latino voters from the Democratic coaltion, including 40 percent of the Asian vote, according to Pew.
Is was enough to give Trump a margin of victory of 1.5 percent.
That’s all.
Currently, Trump is at just a 40 percent approval rating.
So it’s fair to ask Filipinos and Asian Americans in general, is now the time to break the stranglehold that Trump has had on Republicans in general, and that group of Filipino AA’s who have followed along for the ride.
In the past, Filipinos I’ve asked about their vote for Trump always came down to their misogyny. They hated Hillary Clinton in 2017. In 2024, they hated Harris.
Since then, if their backing was more substantively based on conservative principles, how could they support Trump after he just added $3 trillion to a $37 trillion debt?
If it’s a culture thing, how could they back Trump if he protected the secret of a known and convicted pedophile?
Is that a man who should be president?
These are tough times for Americans because the man with the biggest bullhorn is in crisis.
I will say this, while I’m up here performing in Canada, our neighbors to the north feel very sad for us.
They don’t want to be the 51st state.
Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist, news analyst and comic stage performer. He writes for the Inquirer.net’s US Channel. He has written a weekly “Amok” column on Asian American issues for more than 30 years. Find him on YouTube, patreon and substack. If in Canada, see him this summer live on the Canadian fringe tour.
