# Donald Trumps Small Hands
> Donald Trump's Small Hands is a running joke originating from a 1988 Spy magazine insult that Trump obsessively countered with circled hand-photos, becoming a major political meme during the 2016 presidential campaign.
"Donald Trump's Small Hands" is a running joke and political meme that started in 1988 when Spy magazine co-founders Graydon Carter and Kurt Andersen began calling Trump a "short-fingered vulgarian." The insult proved uniquely effective because Trump could never let it go, spending nearly three decades mailing photos of his hands circled in gold Sharpie to prove his fingers weren't short. The joke exploded into mainstream political discourse during the 2016 Republican primary when Marco Rubio weaponized it on the campaign trail, prompting Trump to defend his hand size (and more) on national television.
## Origin
The joke traces back to 1988, when Spy magazine began referring to Trump as a "short-fingered vulgarian" in virtually every story that mentioned him[3]. Graydon Carter, who co-founded Spy with Kurt Andersen, is credited with coining the term[1]. "Queens-born casino profiteer" was another Spy nickname, but "short-fingered vulgarian" was the one that stuck[3]. Trump fired back through the New York Post, stating that "my fingers are long and beautiful, as, has been well-documented, are various other parts of my body"[3].
The insult burrowed deep. As Carter wrote in a November 2015 Vanity Fair essay, Trump never stopped trying to disprove it: "To this day, I receive the occasional envelope from Trump. There is always a photo of him. On all of them he has circled his hand in gold Sharpie in a valiant effort to highlight the length of his fingers"[1]. The most recent package before Carter's essay included Trump's handwritten note: "See, not so short!" Carter sent it back with a card reading: "Actually, quite short." Carter added, "Which I can only assume gave him fits"[1].
- **Platform:** Spy magazine (origin), Twitter / cable news (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Graydon Carter (coined "short-fingered vulgarian"), Kurt Andersen (Spy magazine co-founder)
- **Date:** 1988
## Overview
The meme centers on the claim that Donald Trump has disproportionately small hands for his 6'2" frame. What makes it unusual among political insults is its longevity and Trump's inability to ignore it. For nearly 30 years before it entered presidential campaign discourse, the joke existed as a slow-burn feud between Trump and the media figures who coined it. The meme operates on multiple levels: as a simple physical observation, as an implied comment about masculinity, and as proof that Trump can be baited by the most trivial criticism.
## How It Spread
The meme simmered for decades as an inside joke among New York media circles before breaking into mainstream politics during the 2016 Republican primary. In late February 2016, Senator Marco Rubio brought the joke to campaign rallies, telling supporters in Roanoke, Virginia: "He's like 6'2'' which is why I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5'2''. Have you seen his hands? You know what they say about men with small hands? You can't trust them"[2].
Rubio's attack was a response to Trump's habit of calling him "Little Marco"[2]. The war of words over physical appearances had been going on for days, with Rubio also calling Trump "the man with the worst spray tan in America"[2].
Trump took the bait at the Fox News debate on March 3, 2016. Responding to Rubio's attacks, he held up his hands for the audience and made the subtext explicit: "Look at those hands, are they small hands? And he referred to my hands, 'If they're small, something else must be small.' I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee you"[8]. A Republican presidential frontrunner had just alluded to his penis size on national television[6].
By March 2016, the Americans Against Insecure Billionaires with Tiny Hands PAC filed paperwork with the FEC. "We are patriotic Americans devoted to educating our fellow citizens about Donald Trump's tiny baby hands," wrote the group's treasurer, Henry Kraemer, in the filing[4]. Originally called the "Trump Has Tiny Hands PAC," the group changed its name after Trump reportedly threatened legal action[5]. The PAC ran ads asking whether Trump's "little hands" could even pick up the White House phone at 3 AM and calling on him to "release his official hand measurements"[4].
The joke also spread through creative projects. In October 2016, BuzzFeed News created a downloadable font called "Tiny Hand" based on Trump's actual handwriting, sourced from notes he had scrawled in gold Sharpie on magazine tear sheets[9]. Designer Mark Davis digitized Trump's letters from multiple handwriting samples, and the font was used by author James Hannaham for a satirical piece imagining Trump's debate notes[13].
## How to Use
The Trump small hands meme typically appears in a few common formats:
- **Photo edits:** Shrinking Trump's hands in official photos, or comparing them to everyday objects for scale
- **Political commentary:** Referencing hand size as shorthand for Trump's thin skin or vanity
- **The gold Sharpie callback:** Circling one's own hands in photos, referencing Trump's decades-long habit of mailing hand photos to Graydon Carter
- **Size comparison posts:** Placing hands against the printed Madame Tussauds handprint and posting the results with the #TrumpMyHand hashtag
The joke works best when it highlights the absurdity of a powerful figure being obsessed with a minor physical trait. It's less about the actual measurement and more about the reaction it provokes.
## Cultural Impact
The small hands meme crossed from internet joke to mainstream political weapon during the 2016 campaign cycle. A sitting U.S. Senator used it at rallies[2], a presidential candidate responded to it during a nationally televised debate[8], and a political action committee formally organized around it with FEC filings[4].
BuzzFeed News built an entire typeface around Trump's handwriting and released it for free download[9]. The Hollywood Reporter partnered with Madame Tussauds to produce a printable life-size handprint for public comparison[7]. Nude Trump statues with exaggerated small features appeared in public spaces across the country, placed by anarchist collective Indecline[6].
The meme also sparked serious media analysis. TIME examined the gendered assumptions behind hand-size jokes and their connection to toxic masculinity[6]. The Atlantic explored how the insult worked where policy critiques failed, precisely because it targeted Trump's vanity rather than his positions[5]. Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse even joined in, responding to a Trump insult by joking: "you'd think I asked Mr @realDonaldTrump about the length of his fingers or something important like that"[3].
## Fun Facts
- Trump defended his fingers in the New York Post by stating they were "long and beautiful, as, has been well-documented, are various other parts of my body"[3]
- Graydon Carter received hand-size rebuttals from Trump for over 25 years, always featuring gold Sharpie circles and notes insisting his fingers were normal[1]
- The Tiny Hands PAC originally called itself "Trump Has Tiny Hands PAC" but changed its name after Trump reportedly threatened FEC intervention and a lawsuit[5]
- The PAC spent exactly $1,104 to air its ad four times on MSNBC[4]
- Vanity Fair calculated that you could "load the barrel of Wayne's pistol with 14 of Trump's pinkies"[10]
- Rubio later said he regretted making the small hands joke on the campaign trail[4]
- Starting a PAC with the FEC costs nothing but postage. Simply fill out "FEC Form 1" and await a reply[4]
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is the Donald Trump's Small Hands meme?
It's a long-running joke about Donald Trump having disproportionately small hands, originating from Spy magazine calling him a "short-fingered vulgarian" in 1988[3]. The meme gained political significance during the 2016 presidential campaign when it became a talking point in Republican primary debates[2].
### Where did Donald Trump's Small Hands come from?
Graydon Carter and Kurt Andersen coined the term "short-fingered vulgarian" to describe Trump in Spy magazine starting in 1988[1]. Carter later revealed that Trump spent decades sending him photos with his hands circled in gold Sharpie as rebuttal[1].
### What does the Small Hands meme mean?
On the surface, it's about Trump's finger length. But the joke's power comes from Trump's extreme sensitivity to the criticism, making it a shorthand for his inability to ignore even the most trivial insults[5]. During the 2016 campaign, Rubio and Trump turned it into a genital innuendo on live television[8].
### How do you use the Small Hands meme?
Common uses include editing photos to shrink Trump's hands, comparing hand sizes using the printed Madame Tussauds handprint[7], or referencing hand size when commenting on Trump's reactions to criticism.
### Is Donald Trump's Small Hands still popular?
The meme peaked during the 2016 election cycle but is widely recognized as a classic political joke. As of early 2017, it was still generating viral moments like the debunked White House Photoshop conspiracy[11].
### How big are Trump's hands actually?
Based on a bronzed handprint from Madame Tussauds made in 1997, Trump's hands measure 7.25 inches long. That's slightly below average and smaller than 85% of American men's hands, according to data from the Ergonomics Center of North Carolina[7].
### Did Marco Rubio really make small hands jokes about Trump?
Yes. At a February 2016 rally in Roanoke, Virginia, Rubio told supporters: "He's like 6'2'' which is why I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5'2''"[2]. He later said he regretted the joke[4].
### Did Trump really talk about his penis at a debate?
At the March 2016 Fox News debate, Trump responded to Rubio's hand-size insinuations by saying: "I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee you," making the implied connection between hand size and genitalia explicit on national television[8].
### What was the Tiny Hands PAC?
The Americans Against Insecure Billionaires with Tiny Hands PAC was a real political action committee that filed with the FEC in March 2016. It ran TV ads asking whether Trump's "little hands" could pick up the White House phone at 3 AM and calling on him to release his "official hand measurements"[4].
### Did Trump Photoshop his hands to look bigger?
A viral January 2017 tweet claimed White House photos were altered to enlarge Trump's hand. The Verge debunked this, showing the apparent size difference came from different camera angles, and the broadcast image was identical to the Getty Images source file[11].
### What is the Tiny Hand font?
BuzzFeed News created a free downloadable font called "Tiny Hand" in October 2016, based on Trump's distinctive handwriting style. Designer Mark Davis digitized the letters from Trump's handwritten notes on magazine tear sheets[9].
### Why couldn't Trump let go of the small hands joke?
As Kurt Andersen told The Atlantic, Trump cared about the insult because it targeted his physical vanity in a way policy critiques could not. "You could say he doesn't understand NATO, but he doesn't care that he doesn't understand NATO! At least he cares about this"[5].
## References
1. [Donald Trump's Small Hands Are a Sexist Joke | TIME]()
2. [Marco Rubio goes after Donald Trump's "small hands" - CBS News]()
3. [Donald Trump’s Short Fingers: A Historical Analysis | Vanity Fair]()
4. [Twitter use by Donald Trump]()
5. [Steel Traps and Short Fingers | Vanity Fair]()
6. [What Donald Trump’s Short Fingers Mean for His Presidency – Mother Jones]()
7. [Donald Trump Trolled By 'Tiny Hands' SuperPAC : NPR]()
8. [Donald Trump alludes to his penis size on national television | The Week]()
9. [1 574 Donald Trump Is Sworn In As 45th President Of The United States Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images]()
10. [How Small Are Trump's Hands? - The Atlantic]()
11. [Finally, There's Proof That Donald Trump Has Small Hands | HuffPost Weird News]()
12. [We Made A Font You Can Use To Mimic Trump's Handwriting]()
13. [An Exclusive And Completely Factual Snapshot Of Donald Trump's Speech Notes]()
14. [No, Trump didn’t Photoshop his hand to look bigger | The Verge]()
15. [Whose Job Do You Think It Was To Photoshop Trump's Hand To Make It Look Bigger?]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/donald-trumps-small-hands
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