After Cabinet officials outlined concerns tied to the war with Iran and other pressures facing the U.S., President Donald Trump took over the meeting by holding up a custom Sharpie marker and telling a story about how it became a White House “plumón” associated with his signature.
The Associated Press reported that the interruption occurred during a Thursday Cabinet session in Washington that was focused on Iran, long airport security lines, higher oil prices and unease in financial markets. It said Trump interrupted the discussion while raising a personalized Sharpie in black and gold and then delivered an extended monologue, estimated at about five minutes, centered on the marker.
The AP report said Trump spoke after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided an overview described as grim. Those remarks covered missile attacks, Iran’s efforts to enrich uranium and the risk to U.S. troops, the report said.
Trump’s remarks began with him asking, “¿Ven esta pluma?”, and continuing, “Esta pluma es un ejemplo interesante,” according to the AP account. The report described the Sharpie discussion as one of several extended asides Trump made during the meeting.
In the story Trump told, he said the White House once had “hermosos” pens that cost $1,000 each, and he tied that cost to his practice of handing out pens as law-signing ceremony souvenirs. He said that during the ceremonies he gave pens to legislators, supporters and others, and he said even children received them despite, in his account, not knowing the pens’ value.
Trump said he “se siente culpable por naturaleza” for giving so many expensive pens, and he also said that “Económicamente, amo al gobierno como me amo a mí mismo” and that he wanted to save money. He presented the Sharpie marker as an example of how he viewed his business instincts as leading to better and cheaper outcomes for federal spending.
According to the AP report, Trump said he worked with a marker manufacturer and worried about drawing too much attention to the company involved—only later, when it was clarified that the maker was Sharpie, he appeared to shift toward embracing the brand. The report said he has used Sharpies for decades to sign autographs and to highlight newspaper clippings, and that as president he has continued to use the brand to sign executive orders, proclamations and laws.
Trump told the meeting that he reached out to Sharpie and that the company agreed to make a black marker bearing a gold White House logo without charging for that customization, the AP report said. He also said he insisted on paying $5 per marker, while the AP report noted that searches show typical Sharpies sell for between $1 and $2 each.
The AP account also said Trump described a conversation in which Sharpie’s director responded, “¿De verdad es el presidente?”. It further reported that Newell Brands, which makes Sharpie, said it had no information about the conversation Trump described, while also saying current and former U.S. presidents, elected officials and other public figures use the brand’s markers.
After Trump finished his story, the AP reported that he briefly enjoyed the idea of his own storytelling before turning back to the meeting, telling Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, “Buena suerte, Scott.” The report said Bessent responded, “Bueno, señor,” and added that, as always, it was difficult to speak after Trump.