Donald Trump's Old Office Photoshoot Proves He's Always Been Obsessed With His Ego
Anyone who runs for president must have a big ego, but it's clear that Donald Trump has the biggest ego of any person to ever sit in the Oval Office, and it isn't getting smaller with time. The billionaire with the skin smothered by bronzer doesn't try to hide just how much he loves himself; he names his buildings after himself, and gets government buildings, like the Kennedy Center, named after him as well. With the big ego comes a constant need to show himself off, and as these photos from 2001 prove, Donald Trump has always loved how he looks.
Real estate tycoon Donald Trump moves into a new office in Trump Tower.
He inaugurates it with a photoshoot. pic.twitter.com/CVHIONwU8X
— 2001 Live (@25YearsAgoLive) January 9, 2026
Trump (and his fancy gold scissors) are pictured in his Trump Tower office, where he's posing uncomfortably close to a mirrored paneled wall so he can see multiples of himself. The images don't just show off the man's ego, but how much his appearance has changed over time. In the photos, Trump is missing his now iconic bad makeup and instead has a more natural skin tone. He also has more hair, which means Trump didn't have to work as hard to make it look like he isn't balding back then. He's also sporting a suit that works for his frame, going against the ill-fitting suits that he loves to wear now. The one thing that hasn't changed between these 2001 images and now is Trump's egotistical ways.
Donald Trump's ego is big, but his skin is thin
Having a big ego usually includes being unable to take criticism, and Donald Trump has famously thin skin. The president has spent hours raging against late night TV hosts who mock him, demanding that they be fired. The president also insults reporters who ask him questions he doesn't like. Trump is even willing to destabilize the world when his ego is bruised, telling Norway's prime minister that because he wasn't given the Nobel Peace Prize, he will stop at nothing to own Greenland, per NPR. Never mind that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, not Norway, and that while the Nobel Peace Prize is presented by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the Norwegian government does not select who the prize is awarded to.
As is the case for most people with inflated egos, Trump can't take it, but he loves to dish it out. The president loves to give his opponents disrespectful nicknames, from "Sleepy Joe" for former president Joe Biden to a standard "Little" followed by the person's name, best remembered for "Little Marco" during the 2016 primaries.
Trump doesn't just save his jabs for people he's running against; the president will quickly turn on anyone, even Fox News anchors who he feels have slighted him. According to PsychCentral, all of Trump's bluster is his attempt to hide his insecurities. He essentially admitted this to CNN, explaining that he just whines until he gets what he wants.