Did Melania sign it? Letter to Putin triggers online scrutiny
TOI World Desk | Aug 26, 2025, 15:37 IST
At the Alaska summit, Donald Trump delivered a handwritten letter from Melania Trump to Vladimir Putin, urging compassion for children affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, attention quickly shifted from the letter’s message to the signature, which resembled Trump’s own. Speculation about pen choice and forgery arose, but experts dismissed these claims, leaving the emotional plea overshadowed by controversy.
At the recent summit in Alaska where Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Melania Trump wasn't physically present but still managed to cause a stir without saying a word. During the meeting, Trump handed Putin a personal handwritten letter from his wife, asking him to consider the suffering of children caught in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The message was poetic and emotional. But after a photo of the letter surfaced online, the conversation quickly shifted. Instead of talking about the letter's content, people were fixated on the signature at the bottom.
Shortly after former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the letter on social media, sharp-eyed users began comparing Melania’s signature to that of her husband’s. The sharp points, the bold slashes, everything about it felt oddly familiar. Naturally, the internet lit up with questions. Did she use Trump’s signature pen? Did he sign it himself? Was an autopen involved? Conspiracy theories rolled in quickly, and so did the jokes. Social media users tossed around wild guesses and sarcastic one-liners, turning the signature into an unexpected sideshow.
Handwriting expert Bart Baggett chimed in, pointing out that Melania’s signature has become more stylized and angular over the years, evolving into something that resembles Trump’s distinctive autograph. He chalked it up to branding, habit, or perhaps just a faster signing style adopted over time. Baggett dismissed any suggestions of forgery but did admit the letter carried what he called “Trumpian aggressiveness.”
Some speculated the use of Trump’s go-to Sharpie pen, which he famously favors over luxury pens. Trump once said in a documentary that expensive pens were “horrible,” while Sharpies got the job done. Baggett agreed the thick strokes in the letter were consistent with a Sharpie, and noted that people who write with that much pressure often tend to be more intense or passionate.
As for whether an autopen was involved, there’s no confirmation. The White House has stayed quiet and so the questions keep swirling. But at the end of the day, all this noise about handwriting might just be a distraction from the point of the letter itself. What began as an emotional message about innocent lives in a war zone, has now been overshadowed by theories about markers, machines and signature styles. Whether Melania wrote it by hand, borrowed a pen, or just happens to sign her name a lot like her husband, one thing’s for sure: no one’s talking about the children anymore.
Shortly after former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the letter on social media, sharp-eyed users began comparing Melania’s signature to that of her husband’s. The sharp points, the bold slashes, everything about it felt oddly familiar. Naturally, the internet lit up with questions. Did she use Trump’s signature pen? Did he sign it himself? Was an autopen involved? Conspiracy theories rolled in quickly, and so did the jokes. Social media users tossed around wild guesses and sarcastic one-liners, turning the signature into an unexpected sideshow.
Handwriting expert Bart Baggett chimed in, pointing out that Melania’s signature has become more stylized and angular over the years, evolving into something that resembles Trump’s distinctive autograph. He chalked it up to branding, habit, or perhaps just a faster signing style adopted over time. Baggett dismissed any suggestions of forgery but did admit the letter carried what he called “Trumpian aggressiveness.”
Some speculated the use of Trump’s go-to Sharpie pen, which he famously favors over luxury pens. Trump once said in a documentary that expensive pens were “horrible,” while Sharpies got the job done. Baggett agreed the thick strokes in the letter were consistent with a Sharpie, and noted that people who write with that much pressure often tend to be more intense or passionate.
As for whether an autopen was involved, there’s no confirmation. The White House has stayed quiet and so the questions keep swirling. But at the end of the day, all this noise about handwriting might just be a distraction from the point of the letter itself. What began as an emotional message about innocent lives in a war zone, has now been overshadowed by theories about markers, machines and signature styles. Whether Melania wrote it by hand, borrowed a pen, or just happens to sign her name a lot like her husband, one thing’s for sure: no one’s talking about the children anymore.