For better or worse, Donald Trump's orange makeup is one of the defining presidential looks of the 21st century. Here's the question, though — what does he look like without it?
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00:00For better or worse, Donald Trump's orange makeup is one of the defining presidential
00:05looks of the 21st century. Here's the question, though — what does he look like without
00:09it?
00:11Donald Trump chose not to wear makeup when he hit the golf course in July 2022 and, well,
00:16he certainly looked different. Instead of its usual shade of orange, Trump's face was
00:20red and blotchy, with visible signs of sun damage. The latter is hardly surprising, given
00:25his inordinate time on the green. The Washington Post estimated that Trump played 261 rounds
00:30of golf during his one term in office, compared to Barack Obama, who played 333 during his
00:35two.
00:36Trump's red and blotchy complexion was likely the result of a rosacea flare-up. According
00:40to the American Academy of Dermatology, sunlight and hairspray are common triggers for rosacea
00:45flare-ups, two things Trump clearly holds dear to his heart. Trump's private physician,
00:50Dr. Harold Bornstein, opened up about his patient's rosacea in a February 2017 interview
00:55with The New York Times, sharing that he had prescribed long-acting tetracycline to treat
00:59the condition. Bornstein also revealed that Trump takes finasteride, brand name Propecia,
01:03a prostate-related drug that's also used to treat male pattern baldness. Shooting down
01:07speculation that Trump wears a toupee or has undergone a surgical transplant, Bornstein
01:12insisted,
01:13"...he has all his hair."
01:15Donald Trump looked uncharacteristically natural in November 2023, when he chose to offer up
01:19some of his patented alternative facts.
01:21"...Kim Reynolds of Iowa has gone from a popular governor to the most unpopular governor in
01:27the entire United States of America."
01:29Quick fact check on that one, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves held his position with
01:33an approval rating of 48 percent compared to Reynolds' 54 percent.
01:37Perhaps because there was no orange bronzer in sight to distract anyone, Trump looked
01:41unusually tired and worn. The beauty police shared their thoughts on X, formerly Twitter.
01:46One person wrote,
01:47"...it seems like fighting four court cases and running for president is starting to take
01:50a toll on him. I guess that's why most 77-year-olds don't do either, let alone both at the same
01:55time."
01:56Another said,
01:57"...Trump looks like he should be on a rascal scooter at Magic Kingdom."
01:59Meanwhile, Trump has blamed environmentally-friendly light bulbs for causing his orange hue. He
02:04expands it on the issue while addressing criticism of his plan to weaken regulations on bulbs.
02:09Speaking to an audience of Republican legislators in a 2019 speech in Baltimore, Trump insisted
02:14that energy-saving bulbs give off a light that's no good. He added,
02:18"...I always look orange. And so do you. The light is the worst."
02:26Donald Trump dialed down the orange once again for a February 2018 press op at the White
02:30House. Still, despite his face looking a normal color, his hair was anything but. Trump's
02:35tresses appeared to be an alarming nicotine yellow at the event, sprayed back in a rock-hard,
02:40duck-style flat coif.
02:42Trump loves to boast about being the biggest and best in all and everything, so it's hardly
02:46surprising that he believes he's top-of-the-crop looks-wise, too. Trump shared this exact opinion
02:51while slamming a critic's claim that Vice President Kamala Harris is more attractive
02:55than he is. Apparently, this critic had claimed that Harris, in their words, a beautiful woman,
03:00held this as a strong advantage over Trump.
03:02Speaking to the crowd at an August 2024 campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Trump responded,
03:07"...but I say that I am much better looking than her. I think I'm much better looking.
03:12Much better. I'm a better looking person!"
03:15Some would beg to differ on this, however.
03:17"...Just so you know, man, just because you wear more makeup than Kamala doesn't mean
03:21you look better."
03:23Donald Trump ditched the grease paint before boarding his presidential plane, Air Force
03:261, in February 2018. His face was a rosy red as he waved to the pack of reporters at the
03:31White House. However, it was not Trump's makeup-free visage that had everyone talking, but his
03:36flyaway hair. The then-president's tresses were caught in the wind, blowing upwards and
03:40exposing his balding scalp. Trump's hair loss was even more visible when he turned to walk
03:44up the plane's steps, with the breeze lifting the back of his hair up in the air, too.
03:48Perhaps unsurprisingly, internet commenters couldn't help cracking whys about Trump's
03:52airfield hair disaster. One user wrote on X,
03:55"...that's one draft he couldn't dodge."
03:57While another said,
03:58"...this is like seeing Vader without his helmet for a moment in Empire Strikes Back."
04:01And of course, late-night hosts couldn't resist making a joke about Trump's bad hair day
04:06It's like a mullet, except no one showed up to the party in the back.
04:10Looks like he's flying with an emotional support animal.
04:12Is anyone else kind of relieved that there wasn't a face in the back of his head?
04:16A makeup-free Donald Trump was back on the golf course in May 2023. This time,
04:20he hit his turn-break course in Scotland. Trump was prepared for the chilly and breezy weather,
04:24bundled up in a cozy fleece and a red MAGA cap to ensure no embarrassing flyaway hair snafus.
04:30Surprisingly, given Trump's usual love of foundation and powder, he had expressed
04:34his appreciation for going makeup-free in a bizarre rant in 2016. Trump was talking
04:38about immigration in New Hampshire when he began riffing about how women in Iraq want to wear
04:43burqas. The fact is, it's easier. You don't have to put on makeup. Look how beautiful everyone
04:47looks. Wouldn't it be easier, right? Wouldn't that be easy? Unfortunately, Trump doesn't have
04:52any burqas in his wardrobe, so he has to continue with the makeup for now. And haters are gonna
04:57hate for as long as he does. In March 2024, Midas Touch editor Ron Filipkowski posted a photo on X
05:03showing a serious makeup fail by Trump. He captioned it,
05:06"'Looking great tonight.'"
05:07Commenters immediately weighed in, with one writing,
05:10"...his orange face paint matches his orange-dyed hair, that he evidently didn't notice,
05:14which then contrasts nicely with the bloodless gray skin where he didn't quite get the orange
05:18paint." Another joked,
05:19"...like he fell face-first into a pumpkin."