Trump wears a new 'Happy Trump' lapel pin, but insists he's never happy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump insists he's never happy. But now he has a lapel pin that is.

The president sported a tiny version of himself on his suit's lapel Friday, under the miniature American flag pin he and other presidents have traditionally worn.

“Somebody gave me this. Do you know what that is? That’s called a Happy Trump,” the president said when a reporter asked about the accessory during an event in the White House East Room with oil executives discussing future U.S. control of Venezuela's energy industry.

The pin features Trump with a cartoonishly large head and open-mouthed expression that some online immediately said looked like a bobblehead version of the president. Trump didn't say who gave him the pin.

“Considering the fact that I’m never happy, I’m never satisfied," the president continued, holding out his lapel and looking down at the pin, then looking back at reporters with a playful smirk. “I will never be satisfied until we make America great again, but we’re getting pretty close, I tell you what. This is called a Happy Trump.”

Trump wore a pin with the same design at least once before, during a ceremony in February to swear in Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence — though he didn't comment on it then.

Online searching revealed a Trump lapel pin featuring what appears to be the same design — bundled together with a pin imposing an American flag over an outline of a U.S. map — available for sale on Amazon for $9.99.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, U.S. presidents have generally worn an American flag pin on their lapels. Former President Joe Biden occasionally added his own flourish, sometimes wearing a pin featuring an American flag crossed with a Ukraine one to show his support for that country in its war with Russia.

Then-Sen. Barack Obama was criticized while first running for president in 2007 when he said he'd no longer wear a flag pin because he said doing so had become a substitute for “true patriotism.” But Obama resumed the practice the following year, when a veteran handed him one at a Pennsylvania town hall, prompting the candidate to immediately don it to cheers from attendees.

Friday's was not the first Trump likeness to pop up on a lapel pin in Washington.

In April, Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Commissions Commission, wore a small gold medallion fashioned in the shape of Trump's profile as a lapel pin. It could be seen in Carr's post on X about a meeting on Capitol Hill with Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter.

President Donald Trump wears a gift, which he calls a "Happy Trump" pin, during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump wears a gift, which he calls a "Happy Trump" pin, during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump wears a gift, which he calls a "Happy Trump" pin, during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump wears a gift, which he calls a "Happy Trump" pin, during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump wears a gift, which he calls a "Happy Trump" pin, during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)