Trump's Pen: Sign, Baby, Sign

President Donald Trump's first and second terms have been nothing short of document signing after document signing. In his first few months in office during his second term, he signed almost as many executive orders as President Franklin Roosevelt. Trump is nothing short of an authoritarian populist, using his success in the 2024 election to deviate America from it's democratic path. Trump has reluctanlty chosen a Sharpie marker as his official signing pen, and had ordered a custom Sharpie in black and gold to be made in his first term. The pen is a reflection of his oligarchical policies and greed-driven agenda.

Trump's Sharpie is made from plastic and metal, and is a thicker pen than the many pens that preceded it in the oval office. The Sharpie is closer to a marker than a pen, reflecting Trump's boldness in office to enact economy-crashing tariffs, alliance-breaking deals with enemy countries, and unconstitutional acts against citizens. Trump is a bold President, but not a bright one.

Trump surrounds himself with the rich of the country to give him support from the remaining industries in America, while he constantly attacks universities and aid programs across the country. Trump is the antithesis of an American President, his policies reflect largely a more authoritarian approach to executive leadership. His pen being a deviant is not far off from his overall agenda.

Works Cited/Sources

Kellner, Douglas. Donald Trump as Authoritarian Populist: A Frommian Analysis. In Critical Theory and Authoritarian Populism, edited by Jeremiah Morelock, 9:71-82. University of Westminster Press, 2018. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv9hvtcf.8.

Michael Crowley. Trump and Sharpie’s Maker Land in Different Kind of Storm. New York Times, September 5, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/us/politics/trump-sharpie.html

Samantha Di Nardo. What Pen Does the President Use?: From Roosevelt to Trump. Dayspring Pens, January 2, 2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/presidential-pen?srsltid=AfmBOoq5LI0Ud-mctl9DV6TY3XT4N92YSmWz4FUy_uCmb7m-rrgF255lc

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