Kristi Noem Isn't The Only MAGA Powerhouse To Have A Pricey Hair Scandal

When Beyoncé sang "It should cost a billion to look this good," she (probably) didn't mean it literally. Shady details about the ad campaign that got Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem fired won't help her reputation, especially after the revelation that taxpayers footed the nearly $4,000 bill for her hair and makeup for it. Noem's hair extensions seemingly cost a pretty penny, with experts estimating she spends between $1,500 to $3,000 on them per session. While only a small fraction of the $200 million campaign that left Donald Trump looking completely clueless, it's worth noting that the president is no stranger to pricey hair appointments of his own. Trump's 2020 tax scandal put the divisive leader in the hot seat, with a New York Times exposé revealing that he had been dodging federal income taxes for years — including writing off his regular, pricey trips to the salon.

The New York Times further detailed how the former reality star had spent an average of approximately $1,000 per episode of "The Apprentice" on hair and makeup alone. While Trump previously claimed that his wife was the only person he trusted to cut his hair, his tax records (and show credits) told a different story. Sharon Sinclar, a Manhattan-based hair and makeup artist, reportedly received about $72,243 between 2004 and 2007 from Trump Productions for her services. While not entirely unheard of in showbusiness, a key detail from his taxes took the total from egregious to potentially illegal.

President Donald Trump's complete hair transformation has been truly wild to witness, but nobody could have foreseen that his bleached-blond 'do was part of a larger tax scandal. This was ultimately the result of a discrepancy between company tax deductions and his contract with NBC for "The Apprentice." The New York Times spoke to former network executives involved in the hit reality show, and while they couldn't recall any specifics, one acknowledged, "I can't think of any circumstances in which Trump would have paid those costs out of his own pocket and not be reimbursed." This kind of arrangement is very common among big stars, as the network cannot personally pay nonunion stylists.

Tax experts confirmed that aside from being a non-deductible personal expense, this whole affair would fall under the umbrella of criminal tax fraud if the president had already got his money back. Two corporate entities of the Trump Organization were ultimately convicted of tax fraud in 2022 for helping executives dodge taxes on luxury perks. But Trump, along with the organization's lawyers, held former CFO Allen Weisselberg personally responsible, maintaining he worked alone. While this scandal remained within the confines of business malpractice, Kristi Noem's $4,000 bill for hair and makeup for her pricey ad campaign came directly from taxpayers' pockets. Whether it was a necessary expense or essential government spending, we should get some say in the haircare services we're paying for.