Presidential Penmanship: A Sharpie Story Under Scrutiny
During a recent Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump regaled attendees with an anecdote about a personal phone call regarding custom-made Sharpie pens. The story, intended to highlight his thrifty approach to official duties, has since been met with skepticism from the pen manufacturer itself.
The President recounted a conversation where he apparently sought out a special version of the popular marker. However, a spokesperson for Newell Brands, the parent company of Sharpie, has informed The Washington Post that they have no record of such a discussion taking place. “We don’t have any information about the conversation described,” the spokesperson stated. “We’re proud to be a beloved brand trusted by so many globally.”
The President’s tale emerged about an hour into a meeting that was also addressing significant national issues, including the ongoing situation with Iran and a shutdown within the Department of Homeland Security.
The Cost of Signatures: Expensive Pens and Empty Ink
Trump, holding up a marker during the meeting, praised its writing capabilities while alluding to a special arrangement he has with the brand. “This pen is very inexpensive, but it writes well, I like it,” he remarked. He then elaborated on a perceived problem with the pens used during official signing events.
“So, I came here, they have $1,000 pens,” Trump explained. “And you know, you hand pens out, you’re signing and you hand them out. You’re handing them to all these people, sometimes you have 30 or 40 people and they were $1,000 a piece.”
The President expressed a desire to save taxpayer money and avoid the embarrassment of pens failing to perform. “I want to save money, so I’m saying, ‘This is crazy.’ And I had another problem; they didn’t write well,” he said. “So, I take it out and I sign it and there’s no ink and I’ve got all you people looking and you’re saying, ‘There must be something wrong with Trump.’ I’m signing and there’s no ink in the pen and it cost $1,000.”
A Bespoke Black Beauty: The Presidential Sharpie Request
This perceived issue with costly, unreliable pens prompted Trump to contact Sharpie directly. He described his request for a modified pen, one that would be more suitable for high-profile signings.
“That’s when I called the guy. I said, ‘I’d like to use your pen, but I can’t have the gray thing with a big S on it saying ‘Sharpie’ as I’m signing a $1 trillion airplane contract to buy brand new fighter jets,’” Trump elaborated.
He then recounted the alleged response from the Sharpie representative: “‘Well, I can make it nicer.’ He said, ‘What can you do?’ He said, ‘I’ll paint it black.’ I said, ‘That’s nice.’ ‘And I can even paint the White House on it, sir, if you like, in gold.’ Almost real gold, not bad. ‘And I can even do your signature, sir.’”
After a brief diversion to discuss the Federal Reserve building, the President returned to the pen narrative.
A Deal for the President: Free Pens and the Price of Honor
Trump continued his account by describing how the Sharpie representative allegedly offered the custom pens free of charge, an offer the President claims he refused.
“So the guy said to me, ‘You don’t have to pay me, sir, I’ll give them to you for nothing.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t want that. Let me pay you. I want to pay you.’ ‘No, sir, you don’t have to. You’re the president of the United States.’”
He described the representative’s surprise at receiving a call from the President. “He was shocked — the head of Sharpie gets a call, I don’t even know who the hell he is. He said, ‘Is this really the president?’ He said, ‘No, you don’t have to pay me, sir. This is such an honor.’ I said, ‘Nope, I want to pay you.’”
The President then stated he proposed a price of “five bucks a pen,” which was readily accepted, a stark contrast to the alleged $1,000 per pen cost of standard signing instruments. He characterised the arrangement as a significant cost saving.
A “Business Story” and Public Reaction
Trump labelled the entire exchange a “business story,” emphasizing the perceived value he received. “So, for $5 — it could be zero — but for $5 I get a much better pen than for $1,000. And I can hand them out and actually they become hot as a pistol,” he concluded.
The anecdote quickly sparked reactions on social media platforms. Users expressed a range of sentiments, from bemusement to disbelief. Writer Tom Nichols simply posted, “Ohhhhkaaayyy,” on X, while another user commented, “Wow. I’m going to be saying ‘WTF?’ all day long.”
The discrepancy between President Trump’s account and the manufacturer’s statement leaves the veracity of the presidential pen anecdote in question.
