Does Donald Trump Wear Makeup? What He Looks Like With Vs Without It
Any politician knows the importance of looking your best. From campaign appearances at state fairs to primetime televised debates, it's all about projecting a certain image. For Donald Trump, that image has been one of strength and power — and as Trump runs for president in 2024, he'll certainly keep cultivating this look. After all, he's got a signature style, including his long red tie, coiffed hair, and tan skin, and people notice when Trump has a new look.
Trump seems to have tan — bordering on orange — skin year-round, and while he does spend much of his time in Florida, it doesn't seem to necessarily have come from the sun. When he was in the White House, a source close to him told The New York Times that his tan came from "good genes." Former "Apprentice" star and White House staffer Omarosa Manigault said that Trump travels with a tanning bed, but there weren't ever other reports of him having one at the White House.
Whether it's from genetics or a tanning bed, it does seem clear that Trump wears foundation and/or bronzer, which would help keep his skin its signature color year-round. And while he hasn't publicly confirmed that he wears makeup on the reg, we've got some compelling evidence to support our theory that the former commander-in-chief does wear makeup.
Donald Trump staff have confirmed he keeps makeup on hand
Perhaps the clearest indication that Donald Trump wears makeup is confirmation of it from people who work for him. The Washington Post wrote that Trump's staff were required to make sure that he had 2.5 bottles of his preferred Bronx Colors makeup on hand, which would leave stains on his shirts.
Then there are details from Cassidy Hutchinson, who wrote her memoir "Enough" about her time as a White House aide in the Trump administration. In her book, Hutchinson wrote that Trump didn't end up wearing a mask on camera at an event early in the pandemic because "when he looked at the straps of his mask, he saw they were covered in bronzer."
Trump is a frequently photographed person, so it can be easy to compare his look. And since he most frequently seems to be wearing a layer of bronzer or foundation, it's notable when he doesn't have that signature look. One example of where Trump seems to be going without makeup is at a golf outing in August 2022, where he was spotted without makeup, wearing a white polo shirt, and red "Make America Great Again" cap. While there were photoshopped versions of Trump from that event, in the original version, there's really no orange tint at all. And at the end of summer, after living full time in Florida, that would be the time of year where if it was a natural tan, it would be at its most noticeable.
Donald Trump has blamed bad lighting for making him look orange
Another signal that Donald Trump is enhancing his natural skin with makeup is the changing tone in color on his face. In 2020, one photographer posted a picture of Trump with wind blowing his hair away from his face, and it showed a ring of paler skin around his hairline. Trump responded on Twitter, calling the image photoshopped.
Then in 2023, Trump perhaps applied his makeup with a more hurried hand than usual. Photographed on one of his days in court for the New York fraud trial against him and his company, Trump appeared to have paler skin on his ears and neck compared to the rest of his face. And that photo also made its rounds on the internet.
It could be argued that it's an issue of lighting that makes it seem as though Trump is wearing makeup. At least that's the perspective that Trump seems to support; he's definitely noticed the attention his skin color has received. While president, he allegedly liked to use the Rose Garden for events as the natural light made his skin look less orange. And he's blamed energy-efficient light bulbs for him looking too orange on television. It could be an issue of ego and vanity, not wanting to admit or acknowledge that he uses makeup. But for whatever reason, Trump would hardly be the first person in the world to deny trying to artificially enhance their natural look.