When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he did not use one pen. He used more than 70. He scratched out a letter or two, set the pen down, picked up a fresh one, and kept going until the moment was over. That single detail explains why so many people ask what pen does the president use, and why the answer turns out to be far more interesting than a brand name on a barrel.
Presidential pens sit at the crossroads of politics, history, design, and collecting. They show up in photographs seen by millions, they end up in museums and presidential libraries, and they spark real arguments about tradition and taste. In this guide, you will learn which pen brands presidents have relied on for decades, why Donald Trump broke the mold with a custom Sharpie, how signing ceremonies really work behind the scenes, what happens when a machine signs instead of a person, and how you can buy a pen that writes a lot like the ones used in the Oval Office.
The Real Answer Behind the Presidential Signing Pen
There is no single pen written into law as the official pen of the United States president. Each administration picks its own. For most of the last several decades, presidents have signed bills with pens made by A.T. Cross, usually a black lacquer model with gold-plated trim and the president’s signature engraved on the barrel, though Donald Trump famously switched to custom black-and-gold Sharpie markers. The pen is a personal choice, made by the president with help from the staff secretary’s office, and it can change from one term to the next.
What stays consistent is the purpose. A presidential signing pen is not really a writing tool. It is a keepsake. The White House orders these pens in bulk, engraves them, and hands them out to lawmakers, advocates, staff, and guests who helped make the moment happen. That is why the pen has to look good in a photograph and feel special in someone’s hand years later.
Because the pens are souvenirs, presidents order a lot of them. A major bill signing can burn through dozens. A routine executive order might use one or two. Over eight years in office, a president can easily give away thousands of engraved pens.
Here is what actually goes into the choice:
- Looks on camera, since the pen appears in official photos and video
- Ink that dries fast, which matters a great deal for left-handed presidents
- Durability, because the pen becomes a display piece, not a daily writer
- Cost per unit, since the White House buys them in large batches
- Room on the barrel for an engraved signature or presidential seal
- Personal comfort, because the president holds it dozens of times a week
A Quick History of Pens in the Oval Office
The tradition of using many pens for one signature did not start as a marketing idea. It grew out of politics. Presidents realized that a used pen made a powerful thank-you gift, and giving one to a senator or a civil rights leader cost almost nothing while creating a lifelong memento.
Franklin D. Roosevelt gets most of the credit for turning this into a routine. He handed out pens after signing major New Deal legislation, and the practice stuck. By the mid-twentieth century, presidents were signing bills one letter at a time so more people could take home a piece of history.
Some of the most famous pens in American history had nothing to do with modern brands at all. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation with a simple steel-nib dip pen, the standard writing tool of his day. That pen was reportedly given to Senator Charles Sumner and later preserved by a historical society, which tells you how quickly people understood the value of these objects.
Here is a rough timeline of how presidential pen habits evolved:
- 1800s: Presidents use quills and steel dip pens, filled from inkwells on the desk.
- Early 1900s: Fountain pens take over. Desk sets with matching pens become standard office furniture.
- 1930s and 1940s: Roosevelt popularizes handing out signing pens to allies and supporters.
- 1960s: Johnson turns the practice into a spectacle, using more than 70 pens for the Civil Rights Act and giving one to Martin Luther King Jr.
- 1970s to 1990s: Ballpoints and rollerballs replace fountain pens for daily signing. A.T. Cross becomes the go-to supplier.
- 2000s and 2010s: Engraved Cross pens with 23-karat gold plating become the recognizable standard.
- 2017 onward: Trump introduces custom Sharpies, and the debate over presidential pens goes mainstream.
That last shift matters more than it sounds. For nearly forty years, the presidential pen looked essentially the same. When one president swapped a fine writing instrument for a felt-tip marker, it became a news story on its own.
The A.T. Cross Legacy: Decades of Presidential Pens
A.T. Cross, founded in Rhode Island in 1846, is the brand most people picture when they think of an official government pen. Cross pens have been used by presidents from both parties, and the company has supplied the White House with engraved signing pens for many years. The look is instantly familiar: slim black lacquer body, gold-plated clip and rings, and a signature etched in gold script along the barrel.
The Models Presidents Have Used
Two Cross families come up again and again in reporting and in museum collections. The Cross Townsend is the heavier, more formal option with a thicker barrel and a wide center band. The Cross Century II is slimmer and more classic. Both have appeared in photos of bill signings.
| Model | Look and Feel | Typical Retail Range | Why It Works for Signings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Townsend | Wide barrel, bold center band, substantial weight | $150 to $300 | Photographs well and feels premium as a gift |
| Cross Century II | Slim, tapered, understated | $75 to $150 | Classic profile with plenty of engraving space |
| Cross ATX | Modern, slightly curved silhouette | $60 to $120 | Contemporary alternative for casual use |
| Cross Classic Century | Very slim, budget-friendly | $25 to $60 | Common choice for large bulk giveaways |
Barack Obama’s signing pens are among the best documented. Reporters and collectors describe them as black lacquer Cross Townsend models with 23-karat gold-plated trim, engraved with his signature. He used 22 of them to sign the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which is why his signature on that document looks stretched and uneven. He was writing a letter or two at a time, then swapping pens.
Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also relied on Cross pens for their signing ceremonies. Joe Biden appeared to return to that tradition after taking office, with photographs of his early executive order signings showing a slim black pen with gold trim consistent with a Cross model. He has also been photographed with fountain pens for personal correspondence.
Keep in mind that retail prices are not what the government pays. When you order pens by the thousand and skip the fancy gift box, the per-unit cost drops sharply. Bulk engraved orders of this kind commonly land somewhere between a tenth and a half of the sticker price, which is one reason a president can hand out dozens at a single event without raising eyebrows.
Donald Trump and the Custom Sharpie
Donald Trump broke a long streak. Early in his first term he used traditional pens, but he quickly moved to Sharpie markers for executive orders, proclamations, and bill signings. The reason he gave was simple: he liked the bold, thick line. His signature is large and angular, and a felt-tip marker makes it pop in photographs in a way a fine ballpoint never could.
He did not stop at an off-the-shelf marker. Newell Brands, the company behind Sharpie, produced a custom version for him. Reports describe a black barrel with gold lettering and his signature, based on the familiar Sharpie fine point. Trump told reporters he thought the standard Sharpie looked cheap and wanted something more elegant, and he later called the result the best pen he had ever used.
The Sharpie Moment That Went Viral
In 2019, the marker became a story of its own. During coverage of Hurricane Dorian, Trump displayed a National Hurricane Center forecast map that had been extended with a black marker line to include part of Alabama. The internet nicknamed the episode Sharpiegate, and it permanently linked the president with the pen. Whatever you think of the incident, it turned a common office supply into a political symbol.
Picture the practical side for a moment. A president sits at the Resolute Desk with a stack of executive orders. A staffer sets down a tray of markers. He uncaps one, signs in three seconds with a line thick enough to read from the back of the room, holds the document up for cameras, then hands the marker to someone standing behind him. The whole thing takes less than a minute per document. Speed, visibility, and drama all point toward a felt-tip.
Sharpies also solve a real problem. Felt-tip ink lays down instantly and dries fast on the coated paper used for official documents. A gel or rollerball pen can smear if a hand drags across it. For a president who signs quickly in front of cameras, that reliability matters more than fine craftsmanship.
Presidents and Their Pens Side by Side
Pen choices reveal small things about how each president works. Some wanted tradition. Some wanted a bold visual. A few simply used whatever the staff secretary put in front of them. The table below pulls together what is publicly known and widely reported about modern presidents and their signing tools.
| President | Typical Signing Pen | Notable Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Fountain pens | Popularized giving signing pens away as gifts |
| John F. Kennedy | Fountain and ballpoint pens | Distributed pens widely after major signings |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | Ballpoint pens | Used more than 70 pens for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
| Ronald Reagan | Ballpoint and rollerball pens | Signed with a large, looping signature that filled the line |
| Bill Clinton | A.T. Cross | Left-handed, so quick-drying ink mattered |
| George W. Bush | A.T. Cross | Continued the engraved gift-pen tradition |
| Barack Obama | A.T. Cross Townsend | Left-handed; used 22 pens for the Affordable Care Act |
| Donald Trump | Custom Sharpie fine point | Black barrel with gold signature, made by Newell Brands |
| Joe Biden | Traditional Cross-style pens | Photos suggested a return to classic black-and-gold pens |
Notice a pattern in that list. Truman, Ford, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and Obama were all left-handed or wrote left-handed at some point. That is a striking share of recent presidents, and it shapes pen choice more than people realize. Left-handed writers push the pen instead of pulling it, and their hand often drags across fresh ink.
Because of that, left-handed presidents tend to avoid wet fountain pens and slow-drying gel ink. Fast-drying ballpoints, fine rollerballs, and felt-tips are friendlier. Obama’s distinctive hooked writing position, where his hand curls above the line, is a classic left-handed adaptation to that exact problem.
How a Bill Signing Ceremony Actually Works
The pen is only one part of a carefully staged event. Signing ceremonies follow a routine that the White House staff has refined over decades, and almost nothing about them happens by accident.
Here is the typical sequence from start to finish:
- Congress passes the bill and sends an enrolled copy, printed on heavy paper, to the White House.
- The staff secretary reviews it and confirms the president has ten days, excluding Sundays, to sign it.
- Aides prepare the pens, unpacking engraved barrels and lining them up on a tray or in an open case beside the folder.
- Guests take their positions behind the desk, usually sponsors of the bill, cabinet officials, and people affected by the law.
- The president signs, often in short strokes, switching pens between letters when the event calls for many souvenirs.
- Pens go out immediately, handed over the shoulder or presented one by one after the signature is complete.
- The document goes to the National Archives, where it becomes part of the permanent record of United States law.
Routine paperwork skips almost all of that. A president signs hundreds of documents that never get a ceremony at all, including memos, nominations, letters, and correspondence. Those get one ordinary pen and no audience.
Ink quality matters most at the end of the chain. The National Archives preserves signed originals for centuries, so archival-quality, permanent, non-fading ink is the practical standard for anything that becomes law. That rules out erasable ink and cheap dye-based formulas that fade under light.
One more detail surprises people: recipients treasure these pens. Members of Congress frame them. Advocacy groups display them in glass cases. Martin Luther King Jr. kept a pen from the Civil Rights Act signing, and pens from that day are now museum pieces. A three-dollar object becomes priceless because of who held it and when.
When a Machine Signs Instead: The Autopen Question
Sometimes the president does not touch a pen at all. The White House uses an autopen, a machine that holds a real pen and reproduces a signature with the same pressure and stroke a human hand would make. The result is genuine ink on paper, not a printed image, and it is very hard to tell apart from the real thing.
Presidents have used autopens for letters and certificates since at least the Truman and Eisenhower years. The bigger legal question is whether a machine can sign a bill into law. In 2005, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion saying the president may direct a subordinate to affix his signature by autopen, and that the bill becomes law. Barack Obama became the first president to actually do it, authorizing an autopen signature on an extension of the Patriot Act in 2011 while he was traveling in Europe.
That decision still stirs debate. Critics argue the Constitution requires the president to personally sign legislation. Supporters point out that the president still makes the decision and gives the order, and that the pen is just a tool. The argument has resurfaced repeatedly, including in fights over whether autopen signatures on pardons and executive actions are valid.
Consider a realistic scenario. A funding bill passes at two in the morning while the president is on a foreign trip nine time zones away, and the government shuts down at midnight if nothing is signed. Flying the document across an ocean is not practical. The autopen lets the president approve the text by secure communication and have the signature applied in Washington within minutes. The alternative is a shutdown over logistics.
Looking ahead, this is the area most likely to change. Federal agencies already accept digital signatures for countless documents, and the technology to cryptographically verify who signed what has become routine in business and banking. Whether the country ever accepts a digitally signed law is a political question more than a technical one, but the pressure is building.
Common Myths and Mistakes About Presidential Pens
Because presidential pens show up in photos more than in explanations, myths spread easily. Sorting fact from fiction helps you understand what you are actually seeing when a signing appears on the news.
- Myth: There is one official presidential pen. There is not. No law or rule names a brand. Each president picks what he likes.
- Myth: The pens are solid gold. They are almost always lacquer or brass with gold plating, often 23 karat. Solid gold pens by the thousand would be absurd.
- Myth: The president uses one pen per bill. Major bills often use dozens, and the president deliberately signs slowly so more pens get used.
- Myth: Sharpies were a break with all tradition. Presidents have used markers and everyday pens for casual signings for years. The custom branding was the new part.
- Myth: The White House spends a fortune on pens. Bulk engraved pens cost far less than retail, and the total is a rounding error in the federal budget.
- Myth: Every signing pen is engraved. Many are, but plenty of routine documents get signed with plain office pens that nobody keeps.
Collectors make a different mistake. They assume any pen with a presidential signature engraved on it came from a signing ceremony. In reality, gift shops, campaign stores, and third-party sellers produce commemorative pens by the thousand. A genuine ceremony pen usually comes with provenance, such as a letter from the recipient or a photograph of the event.
Another frequent misunderstanding involves ink color. People assume presidents must sign in black. In practice, black dominates because it photographs cleanly and archives well, but blue ink appears in plenty of historical documents. What matters legally is the signature, not the shade.
Finally, remember that a pen carries no legal power on its own. A bill becomes law because the president decides to approve it, not because a particular instrument touched the paper. The pen is theater, symbolism, and memory. That is exactly why it fascinates people.
How to Buy a Pen Like the One the President Uses
You do not need a security clearance to write with a presidential-style pen. Every model discussed here is available to the public, and the price range is wider than you might expect. The right pick depends on whether you want the look, the writing feel, or both.
If You Want the Classic Cross Look
Start with a black lacquer Cross Century II or Townsend with gold trim. Cross sells these directly and through most major pen retailers, and many offer engraving. You can put your own name on the barrel in the same gold script style used on official pens. Expect to spend roughly $75 to $300 depending on the model and finish.
If You Want the Sharpie Effect
Buy a Sharpie fine point, which costs about a dollar. That is genuinely the same product used in the Oval Office, minus the custom black-and-gold barrel. If you want the upgraded look, Sharpie has released premium metal-barreled versions, and refillable marker bodies from other brands accept similar tips.
| Goal | Recommended Pen Type | Approximate Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonial look | Cross Townsend rollerball or ballpoint | $150 to $300 | Gifts, desk display, milestone signings |
| Everyday classic | Cross Century II ballpoint | $75 to $150 | Daily writing with a formal feel |
| Bold signature | Sharpie fine point | $1 to $3 | Signing in front of a crowd or camera |
| Left-handed writing | Fast-dry gel or fine ballpoint | $3 to $30 | Avoiding smears and smudges |
| Archival documents | Pigment ink pen labeled permanent | $3 to $15 | Contracts, records, keepsakes |
A few practical tips before you buy. First, decide between ballpoint, rollerball, and fountain, because they feel completely different. Ballpoints are dry, reliable, and travel well. Rollerballs glide but use more ink and can smear. Fountain pens feel wonderful but demand care and dry slowly. Second, check that refills are easy to find, since a beautiful pen with a discontinued cartridge becomes a paperweight. Third, if you plan to engrave, order engraving from the manufacturer rather than a local shop, because the lacquer chips easily under the wrong tool.
One last piece of advice: buy the pen you will actually use. The presidents who inspired this whole tradition treated their pens as working tools that also happened to look good. A pen that stays in a drawer misses the point entirely.
Questions People Ask Most About Presidential Pens
Why does the president use so many pens for one signature?
Each pen becomes a gift. By signing a letter or two at a time, the president creates dozens of authentic souvenirs from one document. The politics are simple. A senator who fought for a bill for five years walks away with proof he or she was in the room.
What happens to the pens after a signing?
Most go straight to guests at the ceremony. Others go to presidential libraries, the Smithsonian, or the National Archives. Some end up at auction years later, usually with paperwork showing who received them and when.
How much does a presidential signing pen cost?
Retail versions of the Cross models used in the Oval Office run roughly $75 to $300. The government’s bulk cost is much lower, likely a fraction of retail once you account for large orders without retail packaging. On the collector market, a documented pen from a historic signing can sell for thousands.
Can I buy an actual presidential pen?
You can buy commemorative pens from the White House Gift Shop and similar sellers, and you can occasionally buy a genuine ceremony pen at auction. Just verify the provenance before you spend real money, because reproductions vastly outnumber authentic pieces.
Do other world leaders use special pens?
Many do. European leaders often favor fountain pens for treaty signings, and heads of state sometimes exchange pens as diplomatic gifts. Treaty ceremonies frequently use matched pen sets so each signer takes home an identical keepsake.
Is the pen tradition going to survive?
Probably, at least for ceremonies. Even as digital signatures take over routine government paperwork, the visual of a leader putting ink on paper carries symbolic weight that a screen cannot match. The everyday signing may go electronic. The photograph moment almost certainly will not.
One example shows why the ritual endures. When advocates spend a decade pushing for a law, the ceremony is the payoff. Standing behind the desk, watching the ink go down, and walking out with the pen in hand turns an abstract legislative victory into something you can hold. No email confirmation replaces that.
Final Thoughts on the Presidential Pen
So what pen does the president use? For most of modern history, the answer is an engraved A.T. Cross pen in black and gold, ordered in bulk and handed out as a keepsake. Donald Trump swapped that for a custom Sharpie with a bold black line, Joe Biden leaned back toward the traditional look, and every president before them made a personal choice that said something about how they wanted the moment to look. Behind all of it sits a tradition that Franklin Roosevelt popularized and Lyndon Johnson turned into an art form, plus a machine called the autopen that quietly handles the signatures a president cannot make in person.
Understanding these details changes how you watch a signing ceremony. You start noticing the tray of pens, the pauses between letters, the people standing behind the desk waiting for their souvenir. It is a small window into how power gets recorded and remembered in the United States. And the best part is that nothing about it is out of reach. Pick up a Cross pen or a plain Sharpie, sign something that matters to you, and hand it to someone who helped you get there. That is the whole tradition, and it works just as well outside the Oval Office.
