The internet erupted on Monday after a photo was published showing disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein jokingly selling a "fully depreciated" woman to Donald Trump for $22,500.
The Wall Street Journal published the photo, which was taken at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, in a report confirming the veracity of a raunchy letter the president reportedly sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee also shared the photo on social media.
The term "fully depreciated" is an accounting term that describes when an asset's value has been expended.
Political commentators and analysts expressed astonishment on social media.
"Ew!" Mark Dowis, who worked in the George H.W. Bush administration, posted on X. "In keeping with Epstein’s MO of liking them REALLY young and then passing them on to his 'buds!' As a witness said he told Donald .. 'no Donald this one is not for you!' MAGA, Christian Soldiers what say you?"
"This disgusting exchange in Epstein’s book shows exactly why we need full transparency and accountability—no matter how high up it goes, or who it incriminates," Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) posted on X.
"I doubt this is actually proof that Epstein 'sold' Trump a woman, but at the very least, it shows that elites knew what Epstein was doing and thought it was funny," journalist Matthew Petti posted on X.
"Tough beat that you’d have an inside joke with your buddy about how you pay money to Jeffrey Epstein for him to sell you women and then it turns out by coincidence that Epstein was doing large-scale sex crimes," journalist Matthew Yglesias posted on X.
"What the f--- man," Nick Gallo, political director for the New Jersey College Democrats, posted on X.
"Info is trickling out," political scientist Joel Montfort posted on X.
"I’ve said before that it made qanon worse to act like it was ridiculous to think that a well-resourced cabal of sex traffickers existed in elite circles when there was a well-resourced cabal of sex traffickers in elite circles," civil rights lawyer Joshua Erlich posted on Bluesky.
