Here’s the Hilarious History Behind the ‘Small Hands’ Insults Thrown at Donald Trump

Since the 2016 presidential election, the strange issue of Donald Trump's hand size has sparked both laughter and controversy. This uncommon 'problem' first gained national prominence during a March 2016 debate when Senator Marco Rubio, a fellow Republican presidential candidate, mocked Trump's alleged tiny hands, per ABC News. "He is taller than me, he's like 6 foot 2 inches, which is why I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5 foot 2 inches. Have you seen his hands? And you know what they say about men with small hands," Rubio joked, referring to an adage with implications for the size of another of Trump's organs.

Trump, who has never shied away from conflict, replied quickly on stage. "Look at those hands, are they small hands?" he asked the crowd, raising his hands for inspection. Trump responded directly to Rubio's suggestion, saying, "And he referred to my hands, 'if they're small, something else must be small.' I guarantee you there's no problem, I guarantee." This exchange, since then, became iconic, inspiring several online memes criticizing the then-presidential candidate. A HuffPost investigation at the time revealed that Trump actually had smaller hands than 85% of American men.

Rubio's remarks may have been unusually personal in a political discussion, but they were not the first time Trump's hand size has been brought into question. In fact, the small-hands-lore goes back over four decades, per Vanity Fair. Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, described Trump as a 'short-fingered vulgarian' in Spy magazine in 1988, nearly three decades before Rubio's statement. This term was designed to irritate Trump, and according to Carter, it was incredibly effective. 

In a November 2016 editor's letter in Vanity Fair, Carter described how Trump continued to send him images, frequently torn from magazines, with his hands outlined in gold Sharpie to accentuate their length. "Like so many bullies, Trump has the skin of a gossamer," Carter said, pointing out that Trump's motions were attempts to prove him wrong. Despite Trump's attempts, Carter continued to think the former President's fingers were 'abnormally stubby.'

One especially notable incident occurred just before Trump announced his presidential run. He emailed Carter a snapshot of his hand surrounded, with the words "See, not so short!" scribbled with a gold Sharpie. Carter reportedly returned the photo with a message that said, "Actually, quite short." Carter's description of Trump's obsession with proving his hands are not small was laid bare again in 2016 when, after Rubio's comment, he was reportedly so irked he couldn't stop bringing up the small-hands comment at any rally.

Within 24 hours following Rubio's statement, Trump addressed his hands many times. At a rally near Detroit, he stated that he would not remain silent when 'little Marco' remarked on his hands, saying, "Those hands can hit a golf ball 285 yards." At the Detroit Republican debate, Trump stated, "Nobody has ever hit my hands. I have never heard of this," holding his hands up for the crowd to see. The former President's obsession did not end there. Even after becoming the president in 2017, Trump couldn't stop with the hands boast. While at a relief shelter in Houston after the devastating Hurricane Harvey, the ex-POTUS boasted to a crowd, “My hands are too big!”