The size of Donald Trump’s hands and the digits that comprise them, have been a point of contention for the president for years—since at least the 1980s when
Spymagazine (and future
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter) took to referring to him as a “short-fingered vulgarian”. (Read much more about the genesis of the nickname
here.) Throughout the election, that sobriquet gave way to a general sense that the candidate’s whole hands were smaller than average, inspiring many, many late-night punchlines and novelty gift items.
In 2016, the man who is now president was on something of a crusade to beat back such gags. In
a Washington Post interview, Trump wouldn’t stop bringing up how big his hands are, calling them “normal,” a “good size,” “great,” and “slightly large, actually.” He even went so far as to defend the size of his hands, and by proxy, his reproductive organ,
at a nationally televised Republican debate that same month.
We hadn’t, though, heard much on that front in recent months. Perhaps Trump, busy as he is with the policy and the process of leading the executive branch, had bigger things on his mind: natural disaster recovery or the threat of intercontinental nuclear war, maybe. Not entirely! While at a relief shelter in Houston over the weekend, where he helped serve meals to families affected by Hurricane Harvey, the president couldn’t resist an opportunity to demonstrate the girth of his paws.
“My hands are too big!” he said as he attempted to put on a pair of latex gloves.
