Says a lot...

Fiorina’s ‘Pretentious,’ Clinton’s ‘Controlled,’ and Trump’s a ‘Big Hunk of Man’

A handwriting expert analyzes the 2016 candidates.

By  Michelle Dresbold

Donald Trump is, according to Donald Trump, a handwriting analyst. Inspired by the GOP front-runner’s unusual skill, we at Politico Magazine decided to solicit some handwriting analysis of our own. Perhaps a bona fide expert could see in their signatures the deepest personality quirks of the 2016 presidential field—Trump included, of course.

So, what did we learn? According to Michelle Dresbold, a graduate of the United States Secret Service's Advanced Document Examination training program who's written a book on the subject, Carly Fiorina’s fancy “F” is “a bit pretentious,” and Hillary Clinton’s vertical slant shows her head rules her heart. Scott Walker’s signature, which appears to be “a strange version of Joe,” signals deception. And as for Trump, his writing suggests bigheadedness, anger and fear. Someone in the GOP field, Dresbold writes, could be about to unravel; a Democratic candidate fears destruction. Oh, and there’s a phallic symbol in there, too.

Jeb Bush makes the upper loop of the “J” in “Jeb” big and full. This shows that he is willing to take on a lot of responsibility. Interestingly, the “Jeb” is larger than the unreadable “Bush.” This shows that Jeb wants to stand on his own two feet and would like to distance himself from the “Bush” name. He signs his name large and slightly uphill which shows that he has confidence in himself and is willing to push upwards and onwards.

The “B” in Ben and the “C” in Carson are very high compared to the other letters in his name. When upper letters are exaggerated, it shows a writer who can get stuck in his head and thought process. The “Ben” and “Carson” are so close together that they touch, which shows that growing up, Ben feared abandonment. The ending says even more: Carson loops down and forms a line underneath his signature, which shows that he has confidence in himself.

Chris Christie’s handwriting leans upward, expressing a positive, upbeat personality that is success driven. He runs his “J” into his last name, demonstrating his quick and fluid thinking. The “t” crossing in his last name ends with a dot, presumably the dot of the “i.” This effect resembles a bat and ball, which means Christie could have a deep interest in baseball.

Hillary Rodham Clinton's handwriting is straight up and down. A vertical slant takes a lot of control. It appears in the handwriting of people whose heads rule their hearts. She also uses a combination of printing and cursive. This print-writing is found in creative thinkers: artists, musicians, writers, attorneys and speakers. Also notice that the “y” in “Hillary” is a straight firm down stroke. This strong downward stroke (no loop) appears in the handwriting of strong-willed people determined to reach their goals. Hillary clearly writes “Rodham”—clearly she doesn’t want people to forget that she is, first and foremost, her own person.

Ted Cruz’s signature is written in heavy and thick tones. This demonstrates that he is determined and dogmatic. He also makes his “T” like the numeral “7,” showing his propensity for math and numerical thinking. His “d” ends sharply and abruptly, indicating that when he says something, he means it. He will cut off anyone who thinks or sees things differently.

Carly makes her “y” straight, firm and down. This shows a person determined to make it in life. Her rightward slant shows that same passion. The break between the “i” and “o” in her last name indicates that she dotted her “i” immediately after writing it. These breaks demonstrate that Fiorina is an intelligent, creative thinker. Her “F’ is formal and a bit pretentious, showing that she likes things to look clean and proper.

Bobby Jindal’s signature is impossible to read. He doesn’t let others read him—at all. His first name is angular, showing a tough, determined, ambitious, competitive man. The extreme space between his first and last name shows that he is feeling isolated and separated from the rest of the world. The constricted round and round motion in his last name indicates that he’s feeling very tightly wound and could start to unravel.

George Pataki makes his capital letters small, simple and unpretentious, meaning he most likely comes from a simple, homey background. His middle initial that resembles a backwards “3” indicates that he is well read and enjoys culture.

It is difficult to decipher Marco Rubio’s signature. Signatures that are unreadable show a writer who doesn’t want others to read him. The ultra-high capitals indicate Rubio’s drive to reach the top. Rubio’s signature appears to read “Ma Ma.” Could this be because Rubio’s driving force is his mom and his family history?

Bernie Sanders’ handwriting slants sharply to the right. Right-slanted writers are emotionally driven; their hearts rule their heads. “Sanders” is easy to read, meaning that he states his views clearly and hopes for the best. However, “Bernie” looks like a “B” and an “X,” which could be a sign that he has a fear of destruction and always has his eye out for the worst.

Donald Trump’s signature has absolutely no curves, only angles. Curves in handwriting show softness, nurturing and a maternal nature. Angles show a writer who is feeling angry, determined, fearful, competitive or challenged. When a script is completely devoid of curves, the writer lacks empathy and craves power, prestige and admiration. Besides the bigheadedness that shows in this script there is something else that is rather over-sized—the “p” in “Trump.” This large phallic symbol shouts, “Me … big hunk of man.”

Scott Walker’s signature appears to be a strange version of “Joe.” It is one thing not to be able to read a signature; it means that writer doesn’t want to be “read.” However, when a writer uses ambiguous letters, it shows deception—someone who shows one thing and delivers another.