Not long after President Trump dove into speed writing his signature on a slew of executive orders and proudly displayed them before the cameras, several handwriting examiners pounced on the chance to decipher just what his writing style indicated. Sheila Lowe, a professional handwriting examiner and Michael Fernandez, a third-grade teacher from Georgia, gave their analysis and grades for the penmanship of several U.S. presidents, past and present.
Donald Trump and Barack Obama
Both experts noted the lengthy and jagged writing Trump developed over the course of his stardom and time spent on the campaign trail.
Lowe opined that his signature had a barbed wire fence quality, seeing nothing open or friendly about it. She added that the extreme height of capital letters indicated someone who is impressed by his own power. Fernandez gave Trump a C for neatness.
Lowe read the way Obama wrote his initials B and O as a profound desire for privacy, with a show of style and rhythm. She said that the way the former president crossed his O to the right was like holding out his arm, signaling one to not come any closer. Fernandez graded Obama with a C+ but felt the flourish of his B and O overshadowed the lowercase letters, making them stink.
George W. Bush and Bill Clinton
Lowe found the signature of George W.
to be remarkably similar to his father’s, suggesting an unconscious wanting to live up to his dad’s image. She also found that the younger Bush’s signature showed signs of wanting privacy and being careful about who he allows to see the real George. Fernandez gave George W. Bush a D for illegibility.
According to Lowe, Bill Clinton’s penmanship indicates that he is not easily distracted and focuses on what is happening at the moment.
Fernandez gave Clinton a B- for legibility.
Richard Nixon and Abraham Lincoln
Lowe noted that scandal-riddled President Nixon’s signature changed over the years, meaning he became less and less up-front about who he was. His early signature style, to her, showed a paranoid quality. Fernandez issued Nixon a B+ for penmanship. Lowe found Lincoln’s signature of tall capital letters as a reflection of taking pride in himself and refusing to put on airs. Fernandez assigned Honest Abe a B and felt that he could have taught his kids a lesson in connecting letters.
