Washington, D.C. – In the history of American presidencies, there have been many unusual messages - on letterhead, in tweets, as margin notes on legislative drafts. But what Donald Trump just sent to the Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, even exceeds the gaudier standards of his presidency: a handwritten message, in all caps, written with a black Sharpie - directly on a chart comparing interest rates. The tone? “Mean Girls” meets the Oval Office. “I present to you original correspondence from the President of the United States to our Fed Chair Jerome Powell,” Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared during a briefing - as if it were a document of statesmanlike importance. The message itself was anything but diplomatic: “Jerome - You are, as usual, ‘too late’ - you have cost the USA a fortune - and continue to do so… You should lower the rate! By a lot! Hundreds of billions of dollars being lost! No inflation!” Below it: Trump’s trademark, heavy signature - more threat display than closing salutation.
What sounds like a bad joke is actually part of an openly waged campaign against the Federal Reserve. For weeks, Trump has been personally attacking the Fed Chair for not lowering interest rates quickly enough. According to Trump’s narrative, the economy could explode - if only Powell would “finally deliver.” That the independence of the Federal Reserve is a cornerstone of democratic financial policy? Apparently just a detail to be disregarded in Trump’s power game. The Sharpie attack is not just a stylistic lapse, but a calculated humiliation. In Washington political language, a handwritten note from the president is considered a direct expression of disapproval - a message that bypasses intermediaries and hits head-on. A note without diplomatic courtesy, without institutional protocol - just pressure, dominance, and threat.
The US press compares the approach to high school dramas - “Mean Girls” style, as the consensus goes, except here it’s not about lockers but trillions at stake. Because Trump’s handwriting has long stood for more than personal opinion: it is a tool of authoritarian rhetoric, a weapon in the crusade against anything that resists his will. And so, little remains of this paper other than an impression: a president who no longer offers arguments, but replaces interest rate decisions with Sharpie commands. No “Sincerely, Don” - but a signature that says it all, and none of it good.
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