Former President Donald Trump once famously said, “I’ve never written a picture.” Yet, despite that remark, one woman has successfully convinced him to create not one, but two hand-drawn sketches.
The unexpected artistic contributions came as part of a charitable initiative. Artist and entrepreneur Eileen Guggenheim approached Trump to contribute drawings for a fundraiser. To her surprise, he agreed — twice. Both sketches were simple, yet unmistakably in Trump’s signature bold, minimalist style.
The first drawing featured the Manhattan skyline, topped with Trump Tower prominently in the center. The second, created on a separate occasion, was a quick rendering of the American flag. Both were signed and later auctioned for charity, fetching impressive sums due to Trump’s celebrity and political status.
While Trump is better known for his real estate empire and political career than his artistic endeavors, his quick sketches have become collectibles in certain circles. Despite his past dismissal of the idea that he would ever “write” — or draw — a picture, these two pieces prove that even Trump occasionally puts pen to paper for a cause.
Trump Denies Drawing, but Charity Director Says He Sent Signed Sketches
However, that assertion is being challenged by a former charity director who says Trump personally contributed two signed sketches to a nonprofit fundraiser in 2004.
Dr. Lowery Lockard, who helped organize an art-themed charity auction for Hattie Larlham, a nonprofit serving children and adults with developmental disabilities in Ohio, told CNN she was both “shocked and impressed” by the artistic quality of the pieces sent in by Trump, who was then best known as a real estate mogul and the star of The Apprentice.
The two sketches Trump submitted were simple doodles of the New York City skyline, appropriately reflecting his business brand. According to Lockard, Trump used a gold Sharpie and included his signature on both drawings. He also returned a signed waiver authorizing the artwork to be auctioned for charity.
That waiver still exists, Lockard said, and authenticates that Trump knowingly created and contributed the drawings.
Despite Trump’s statement that he doesn’t draw, his art has previously surfaced in other auctions.
“This should raise a pretty penny,” Lockard said. “It’s a great doodle,” she added, noting that the opening bid will be set at $10,000.
While he may not have drawn the specific illustration referenced in the Epstein-related letter, the claim that he doesn’t “draw pictures” is clearly contradicted by multiple public and authenticated examples of him doing just that—for charity and for fans.
For Dr. Lockard, the situation is straightforward. “The drawings were real. He signed them. We auctioned them. There’s no doubt about it.”