Donald Trump’s beloved writing instrument made a cameo in a tone-deaf video that runs counter to the core beliefs of his most devoted fans.
During his 2024 bid for re-election, he pledged to restore manufacturing jobs and bring factories back to the United States.
That vow sits at the heart of the Make America Great Again banner, with industrial sites—like the Ford plant in Michigan—often used as backdrops for his remarks on employment and the economy.
Yet on Labor Day, Trump offered a stark display of his view of the labor force, exposing a bleak reality in the process.
That federal holiday commemorates the achievements and economic contributions of American workers, from safer workplaces to wage growth, collective bargaining protections, and beyond. It was established by President Grover Cleveland in 1894.
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Nevertheless, the Trump camp marked the moment with a 38-second clip posted on the White House’s social channels.
“This Labor Day, we honor the workers and the goods that are proudly MADE IN AMERICA,” the caption stated.
The footage depicted Trump’s preferred black marker being engraved with his gold-signature, capped, slid along an assembly line, and slotted into a blue case.
A machine performed every action. The closing shots appear to show Trump’s hands (minus the usual bruises) bearing the device into the Oval Office and signing an executive order.
This Labor Day, we celebrate the workers and products that are proudly MADE IN AMERICA. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/uzAdQvC7x1
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 7, 2026
Social media commentators faulted the White House for overlooking the holiday’s most essential element: recognizing real workers.
“Built by a robot. You must know how utterly out of touch this looks,” read one reply to the blunder.
Another X user commented, “There aren’t any real people shown, and 99% of the footage seems AI-generated. What a tone-deaf Labor Day post.”
Consequently, observers flagged the clip with a community note on X (the Elon Musk–owned platform): “The video displays a fully automated assembly line making pens, with no human workers in sight. Many observers say it appears AI-generated.”
“He’s mocking and baiting Americans every day. He hates you,” one commenter quipped. Another pointed out, “Didn’t you just say we were all lazy and had too many days off?”
Last June, Trump railed on Truth Social that Americans weren’t working enough.
He complained, “Way too many non-working holidays in America. It’s costing our country billions of dollars to keep so many businesses shut. The workers don’t want it either! Before long we’ll have a holiday for every single working day of the year. This must change if we are going to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
That complaint appeared to be a thinly veiled critique of Juneteenth, the federal holiday Biden signed into law in 2021. The day marks June 19, 1865, when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom.
Multiple observers also noted that the marker looked like a Sharpie, though the brand name wasn’t visible.
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
At a Cabinet meeting in March, Trump lauded the personalized markers while displaying one for reporters, noting, “This pen is inexpensive, yet it writes well.”
He even said he contacted Sharpie’s leadership to protest the conventional gray body, requesting a sharp black finish stamped with his gold signature — though Sharpie’s parent company later said it had no record of such a conversation.
Ironically, prior to releasing the Labor Day pen video, Trump touted the August jobs data, writing on Truth Social: “Great jobs numbers just announced, beating all estimates (except mine!) by multiples.”
Official figures showed about 162,000 new jobs, rebounding from July’s 23,000 decline.
