As usual, Donald Trump was supposed to be talking about government business, but somewhere along the way, the conversation drifted into one of his familiar rambling detours. Amid rising gas prices and the escalating war in the Middle East, a routine meeting quickly turned into Trump’s one-man s how in Washington. It was almost like he was auditioning for open mic night, as he rambled on about the questionable spending habits happening right under his own roof. A Cabinet meeting about renovation costs shifted when Trump launched into a story about expensive pens and his preference for using markers to save money. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) ‘OMG …He’s Hammered’: Trump Hands Hegseth the Mic to Back His Iran Strategy — Then Eagle-Eyed Fans Spot His Face as Hegseth Repeats a Point That Isn’t Landing On Thursday, March 26, during a televised Cabinet meeting, officials expected a straightforward discussion about the Federal Reserve’s headquarters renovation costs. Instead, Trump leaned into a running complaint about waste and excess, using an example he believed showed how he saves money. The president moved from talking about renovation costs to describing the pens he uses inside the White House, shifting from policy to a personal tale about spending and appearances. “See this pen right here — this pen, so this pen is very inexpensive, but it writes well. I like it. But I can’t have the pen the way it was, you know what it is, I don’t want to give them too much publicity, but they do treat me well — Sharpie,” Trump said in one breath, drawing a laugh from the room. President Trump says he swapped the White House's thousand-dollar ballpoint pens for cheaper Sharpies when signing bills. pic.twitter.com/Gqe8oNtdcP— CSPAN (@cspan) March 26, 2026 The former reality star said he prefers Sharpies instead of “beautiful” ballpoint pens, saying the ones he inherited were too flashy, expensive, and not practical. He mentioned giving treats to visitors and children who didn’t understand what they were receiving. “‘What is this mommy?’ These kids they’re getting a pen for $1,000 and I feel guilty, by nature. I love the government. I love myself economically. I want to save money,” said Trump, He recalled calling the company CEO to negotiate a cheaper option for what he called ineffective pens. “And it had another problem — they didn’t write well. So I take it out, and I sign it, and there’s no ink. And I got all you people looking, and you said, ‘There must be something wrong with Trump.’ And I’m signing, and there’s no ink in the pen and it cost $1,000,” the president continued, really warming to the subject amid more laughter. “Here’s what — I called the guy. I said, I’d like to use your pen, but I can’t have a gray thing with a big S on it. Same Sharpie as I’m signing a trillion-dollar airplane contract to buy brand-new fighter jets, brand-new B-2 bombers,” Trump boasted. “Which he just ordered plenty.” Defense Secretary of War Pete Hegseth laughed more than anyone in the room at Trump’s remarks. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio kept a concerning look on his face as if he knew something wasn’t completely true, or he was fed up with the president’s story. “But I can do like Biden did, you know, give it to somebody else to sign or an autopen or maybe sign it separately,” Trump added. He said “the guy” offered a “nicer” option: to paint the pens black and add a picture of the white house and Trump’s signature on it. “In gold, almost real gold. Not bad,” he said. In a shameless plug moment, he denied that he was using the black pen he held up with his hand as a “staged” moment. Trump called it an example of “how $25 million, spent by me at the Federal Reserve building, would be a better job than 4 billion dollars that they’re spending.” The bit was meant to reinforce the image of a president focused on cutting costs, and suggest that Biden had the four-figure pens, but Trump’s long-winded explanation continued to blur the lines for many between thrift and showmanship for social media users questioning the president. One user wrote, “There were no $1000 pens distributed by any President for any reason. He lies about the dumbest damn stuff.” Another added, “So we are spending a billion a day on the war, but thank goodness we’ve got Sharpies.” A third commenter piled on with sarcasm, posting, “Oh good, the national debt will now be eliminated.” “Because people with dementia need bigger pens to hold on to,” one quipped. Others focused on the contradiction they saw in the message. “But he filled the Oval Office with gold,” one person wrote,  pointing to the president’s taste for flashy décor while talking about cutting expenses. Another joked, “Works best with drawings and secrets,” a line that quickly spread across timelines. The final reaction tied the moment to that resurfaced Epstein birthday card controversy involving an apparent black marker Trump drawing and signature that the president denies is authentic. lol— I’m Not That Short (@SheBleedsHipHop) March 27, 2026 The irony was not lost on viewers, pointing to Trump’s past criticism of former President Joe Biden for using an autopen to sign official documents. He insists real signatures signal accountability, claiming some of Biden’s pardons were invalid because they were signed that way, underscoring the belief that the person holding the pen matters. At the same time, the claim itself doesn’t fully hold up — there’s no clear record of standard White House pens costing $1,000 each. Watchdogs have flagged other questionable spending, including spending tens of millions of dollars spent on luxury food purchases by the Defense Department last September. Therefore, Trump’s comedy moment seemed to land differently, leaving people wondering if the real takeaway wasn’t the pens at all, but what often slips out in the middle of his rants. ‘What a Disaster’: Donald Trump Takes a Bizarre Detour During High-Stakes Meeting — Then Cameras Catch the Look on Rubio and Hegseth’s Face That ‘Tells You Everything You Need to Know’ ...read more read less