The Worst-Dressed Politicians Of 2026 Prove 'New Year, New You' Need Not Apply

Ahead of his first State of the Union address of his second term as president, were Donald Trump's approval ratings soaring? No. But were he and his supporters spearheading a style renaissance that at least made MAGA's biggest movers and shakers some of fashion's most influential trendsetters? Also, no. Just two months into 2026, it became clear that MAGA and good taste are like Trump and the economy: They keep trying the same tired old tricks in hopes of getting different results, but to no avail.

On the plus side of things, Rep. Nancy Mace has managed to avoid showing up to work in her pajamas (as of this writing, at least). And the MAGA-verse is losing one of its most inappropriate dressers in Marjorie Taylor Greene, with her resignation from Congress and falling-out with Trump. But old habits die hard, and the updated version of the Grand Old Party still seems to be all about that old money aesthetic and loud luxury. Of course, the leader of the pack still clings to his '80s version of dressing to exude affluence, and when Trump took a rare fashion risk by deviating from his padded suit and taped-up tie in 2026, the internet took notice.

So, Donnie, are you okay? Are you okay, Donnie? No disheveled MAGA man needs a makeover more than Donald Trump, but it's looking doubtful that he'll ever stop dressing like he'd rather be in a Trump Tower boardroom. He does, however, occasionally put on a long, slightly snug overcoat when it gets chilly. During a January stop at the Machine Shed restaurant in Iowa, he even channeled Michael Jackson by wearing a single black leather glove while holding court among a room full of diners.

Observers have noticed that Trump does his own version of the "Smooth Criminal" lean, and some experts have suggested that it's related to health issues. When he was spotted sporting Jackson's signature single-glove style, internet users were convinced that this was another sign that Trump was unwell. This is because Trump had been spotted with a gnarly hand bruise during his Davos speech days earlier. He later spoke to the press about the injury and how he tried to hide it, explaining (via the Associated Press): "I clipped it on the table. So, I put a little — what do they call it? Cream on it." 

Perhaps Trump should always wear the MJ glove. According to The Wall Street Journal, he once cut his hand on Pam Bondi's ring, and he wouldn't want to risk getting "Blood on the Dance Floor" while shaking his fists to "YMCA."

We've seen Lauren Boebert commit many blazer fashion fails over the years, and in 2026, she continued finding the worst jackets to traipse around Capitol Hill in. This plaid piece looks like a saddle pad or a throw blanket you'd find in a rustic wood cabin with leather furniture, a wood-burning stove, and a rawhide rug on the floor. It appears to be the Smythe Rifle-Patch Wool Plaid Equestrian Blazer, which sounds like it was created for someone who enjoys hunting on horseback — those random leather patches are similar to those found on shooting jackets, which are designed with toting a gun around in mind. It's a fitting choice for the former owner of the firearm-themed Shooters Grill restaurant.

Boebert's accessories included a black leather Christian Louboutin tote embellished with tiny studs and a massive painting of Bill Clinton wearing a blue dress and red heels. The painting, "Parsing Bill," supposedly hung on the wall inside Jeffrey Epstein's mansion — Boebert was lugging it around because the House Oversight Committee had called for Clinton to give a deposition as part of its Epstein files investigation. The Republican representative even color-coordinated her outfit with the artwork. It might have been hard for her to find something in her closet that matched the dress, as she probably has a lot more MAGA red clothing than Democratic blue. 

The women of Trump world love taking fashion inspo from grandma's throw pillows; the trench Karoline Leavitt wore while addressing the media in January is a prime example of how MAGA has gone gaga for grandmacore. It's easy to imagine this fabric on an antique upholstered chair with a King Louis back and scrollwork on the legs. But when ostentatious interior design is your boss's passion, you have to dress to impress. Maybe Donald Trump will use the same fabric on the seating in the ladies' powder room of the White House ballroom.

There's nothing wrong with florals, but the soft colors of the large pattern on Leavitt's coat are jarring against the black backdrop. Unfortunately, the effect is an unholy combo of Blake Lively and Margot Robbie's respective press tours for "It Ends with Us" and "Wuthering Heights," but far more conservative. 

At the beginning of 2026, Leavitt also continued busting out the Chanel-inspired tweed pieces that have become a staple of the MAGA aesthetic, including a wrinkled cropped pink coat with black piping and tiny black bows on both breast pockets. Of the style, historian Einav Rabinovitch-Fox told HuffPost, "It's signaling that these women are maintaining more traditional gender roles, like the Chanel suit is this very traditional, conservative, even sort of old look."

It was perplexing to learn that Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prefers to wear jeans when he works out. He busted out the blue denim again for a February social media video encouraging Americans to eat healthier and increase their activity levels. But instead of inspiring most viewers, it probably left them wondering what in the world they just watched.

In his "Rock Out Work Out" video with Kid Rock, we were treated to a view of RFK Jr.'s jeans from the back, and the saggy seat wasn't exactly flattering. But it was probably a good thing that his pants weren't all that tight when he hopped on an exercise bike and started pedaling. He then proceeded to do a cold plunge without changing out of his jeans, and he kept them on when he and Kid Rock settled down in a lighted grotto straight out of the Playboy mansion. The men then refueled by sipping on their post-workout beverages: glasses of whole milk. "Bawitdaba" blasting in the background didn't make their workout plan any more enticing.

I've teamed up with @KidRock to deliver two simple messages to the American people: GET ACTIVE + EAT REAL FOOD. pic.twitter.com/PkK8IfkPU4

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) February 17, 2026

Of her husband's strange workout wear, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Cheryl Hines told The Wall Street Journal, "Bobby doesn't miss a workout. He's not the type to carry around a gym bag so he goes as he is, whenever he can fit it into his schedule. He doesn't pay much attention to gym norms." Okay, but surely Kid Rock had a pair of gym shorts or swim trunks he could have borrowed to bro out in.

It probably didn't feel great to get booed at the Olympics, but at least JD Vance got to wear some cool new gear to watch the American women's hockey team play at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy. Proving that he may possess an ego equal to that of his boss, Donald J. Trump, he rocked a dark blue quarter-zip emblazoned with the presidential seal and his last name — and we all know how much Trump loves slapping his name on things.

While Vance's moniker was printed on the front of his jacket, the American flag was shunted off to the side on a sleeve like an afterthought, suggesting that personal branding was more important to the veep than patriotism. But come on, JD — even FBI Director Kash Patel had "USA" proudly splashed on his chest when he chugged beer with the American men's hockey team on the taxpayers' dime. Vance completed his outfit with some dad jeans that would surely earn Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s seal of approval and a pair of brown boots that felt a bit out of place. Most of the rest of the Vances were wearing sneakers, which would have made more sense for his athleisure look.

The black carpet at the January premiere of the "Melania" documentary gave the event a gloomy vibe, which was fitting since it sort of served as a funeral for the venue where it was held — The Kennedy Center — after Donald Trump tacked his name on it and then decided to shut it down for two years. For the event, United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins chose a somber look that was right at home in the dreary setting. Her black gown had some Art Deco-style beadwork that actually looked interesting — but she covered most of it up with an ill-fitting blazer that threw the proportions of her silhouette all off. Rollins tried to liven the look up with a red envelope clutch and turquoise earrings, but neither accessory felt like they fit with the odd outfit.

Rollins went a totally different direction at a February MAHA event promoting the Trump administration's new dietary guidelines (featuring a special guest appearance by Mike Tyson). A month earlier, she had suggested to NewsNation that Americans can save money by putting less on their plates. But while she encourages minimalism in the kitchen, she's a maximalist in the closet. Her red suit was enough on its own, but then she went and made it Mary Tyler Moore-coded by throwing on a patterned scarf. If she was hoping to drag the '70s look forward a few decades with the addition of a leather top, all she succeeded in doing was making it look even more like a costume.

Thanks in part to her love of LARPing as various government agents, Kristi Noem has earned some brutal nicknames. On occasion, Border Patrol Barbie also likes to dress up like a rodeo queen, donning accessories that typically include a cowboy hat and oversized belt buckle. But a trip down to the Texas-Mexico border wasn't the most appropriate time to bust out her finest Western wide-brim and turquoise-encrusted waist ornament.

An attempt was made to look like she belonged there with the border patrol agents she talked business with: Noem's army green button-down almost matched their slightly darker shirts. But her heavy makeup and painted-on jeans were better suited for a night out line-dancing with Noem's rumored boy toy, Corey Lewandowski. There was a ridiculous addition to her cowgirl costume that wouldn't look like it belonged in even the ritziest of honky-tonks, however — she appeared to have on her $50,000 gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. Why she felt the need to flaunt that acquisition out in the middle of nowhere is anyone's guess.

What if Regina George became the attorney general of the United States someday? Well, if the queen of The Plastics ever scored an invite to Mar-a-Lago on a Wednesday, she might show up in Pam Bondi's lumpy pink dress that looks like it's melting. Throwing all of Barbie's accessories into the microwave could easily achieve the same result as the off-the-shoulder gown's blobby pattern and shapeless fit — which Bondi desperately tried to remedy with a belt, only to end up with an unflattering lump of fabric flopping around her midsection. At least the tux that her partner, John Wakefield, was wearing looked decent enough.

Look, we get it: Barbiecore was a fun, popular trend that made fashion fans from both sides of the aisle smile. But it's over now. The outfit also doesn't exactly scream champagne problems, and it's not the only time Bondi has rocked a print that looks cheap. When she attended Dan Scavino's wedding, she proved that she's been taking notes from Melania Trump by draping her coat on her shoulders, old-money style. But the tired trick wasn't enough to elevate her outfit to the level of sophistication she was likely going for, thanks to a floral skirt that could have been snatched off the rack at any outlet mall clothing store.

When Pete Hegseth isn't busy playing fitness influencer and sparking debates over whether he can really bench 315 pounds, the secretary of war apparently spends a lot of time trying on suits that might just burst at the seams if he tried to do a single bicep curl in them. He and Donald Trump are on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their preferred suit fits, but Hegseth's snug style does his gym-honed figure no favors. 

"When you wear slim fit suits, you narrow the shoulder, shorten the jacket, and taper the legs. This can accentuate hips," menswear expert Derek Guy explained on X, formerly Twitter. The lone button holding Hegseth's blazer closed at the "Melania" premiere was working as hard as he does performing a pull-up, and the tight fit around his upper abdomen caused the bottom part of the garment to flare out, further widening his lower midsection.

Hegseth also likes his pants short, perhaps because no one would see how much thought he puts into his socks otherwise. He's been spotted sporting a pair with a pattern of green Army men toys, but his favorites seem to feature the American flag – because nothing says patriotism like treading on the stars and stripes all day long.

Donald Trump can't seem to get enough of hearing about himself on Fox News, so when he returned to the White House in 2025, he took some of his favorite hosts with him. Among them was "Judge Jeanine" Pirro, whom he named the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. She brought her TV-style sensibility with her and just might be one of MAGA's biggest maximalists with her tweed suits studded with gold buttons, knee-high boots adorned with big bows, and multicolored bejeweled heels. The details on her outfits can feel excessive and overloaded, but she is as likely to tone them down as she is to turn down the volume of her authoritative voice.

The January look above isn't one of her loudest, but it still has some details that draw the eye. While the Trump administration is all about closing borders, it appears that her purple coat is a gate that is inviting some unwanted guests in: a pair of Demogorgons from "Stranger Things." But what these politicians really need is their own Mind Flayer to convince us all that they don't desperately need makeovers.