American manufacturer’s hidden tag calling president “idiot” resurfaces

An unusual message stitched onto the inside label of a bag made by American manufacturer Tom Bihn has resurfaced online, referring to a “president” as an “idiot.”

The post, shared by Threads user @writtenbymeaghan, has amassed more than 87,000 views since it was posted on February 12. Its caption reads: “An American clothing company that exports to France.”

The image featured in the post shows a fabric tag sewn into a Tom Bihn bag. Written in French, the label begins with standard care instructions before ending with a sentence that stands out, saying: “NOUS SOMMES DÉSOLÉS QUE NOTRE PRÉSIDENT SOIT UN IDIOT. NOUS N’AVONS PAS VOTÉ POUR LUI.”

Translated into English, the line reads: “We are sorry that our president is an idiot. We didn’t vote for him.”

The message appears without additional context on the tag itself, leaving viewers to speculate about which president is being referenced and why the message appeared in the first place.

Tom Bihn, which is based in Seattle, Washington, is an American bag manufacturer founded in 1972. The company produces backpacks, travel bags and accessories and ships its products internationally, including to Canada, which may help explain why French language text appeared on one of its labels.

The tag itself is not new. A spokesperson for Tom Bihn told The Huffington Post back in 2017 that the label was produced only in 2004, though images of it have continued to circulate on social media long after it was discontinued.

At the time, Tom Bihn—the company’s founder and owner—reportedly said he was initially unaware of the message’s meaning due to his limited French language skills. Speaking to The Ottawa Citizen, Bihn reportedly suggested that the “president” referenced on the tag may not have been political at all.

According to that report, Bihn said the label was likely intended as a joke referring to himself, rather than a national leader. He later told The Associated Press in 2004 that the wording had an unintended effect once it was interpreted more broadly.

“I’m going with the idea that it’s a joke about me,” Bihn reportedly said at the time, adding, “Clearly when you use the word ‘idiot’ and ‘president’ in the same sentence, people jump to other conclusions.”

Bihn also told The Ottawa Citizen that in France, some people assumed the tag referred to then‑French President Jacques Chirac. “People out there think a number of presidents are idiots,” Bihn reportedly said. “It’s a universal message.”

The renewed attention to the label comes as a Pew Research Center report released in June 2025 found that perceptions of the United States had grown more negative in many countries.

According to the report, “roughly half of adults across the countries surveyed view the U.S. favorably,” with sharp differences by nation and declines since the previous year in many places. Pew noted that “in many–but not all–of the nations surveyed, views of the U.S. have become more negative since the last time we asked.”

The study found particularly strong favorability toward the U.S. in Israel, where 83 percent of adults viewed the country positively, as well as majority favorable views in Brazil, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Poland and South Korea. By contrast, the U.S. received its “least positive assessment in Sweden,” and net‑negative views in Canada, Mexico, Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey.

Pew also reported that “ratings of the U.S. have dropped significantly in 15 countries since last year,” citing steep declines in Mexico, where favorability fell from 61 percent in 2024 to 29 percent, and Canada, where it dropped from 54 percent to 34 percent.

Newsweek has contacted the original poster via Threads and the manufacturer Tom Bihn via email for comment.

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