Tobin Harshaw, Columnist

The Sharpie Is Mightier Than the Sword — or at Least the Constitution

President Trump’s most powerful weapon? The permanent ink he’s used to sign more than 40 executive orders.

February 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM UTC

Tobin Harshaw is a Bloomberg Opinion senior editor and columnist on national security and military affairs. Previously, he was deputy editor at the op-ed page of the New York Times and the newspaper’s letters editor.

Cloudy with a chance of Sharpie.
Photo illustration: Jessica Karl

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Man oh man, has anybody ever gotten as great a run of product placement as the folks who make Sharpies have over the last 12 days? With President Donald Trump shedding executive orders like a loon molting in springtime, his SPIKY STABBY SCRAGGLY SHARPIE SIGNATURE® was ubiquitous. All you can do is admire his allegiance.1