The use of makeup and cosmetics by Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, has been a subject of media coverage since before his entry into electoral politics. He has been reported to apply his own makeup. Suggestions that his hue results from bronzers, self-tanning agents, or tanning devices, have been disputed by White House aides and associates. Trump has publicly complained about appearing "yellow or orange" on television. The topic has been analyzed with reference to Trump's broader public image and his attention to presentation during his presidencies.
Since before the first presidency of Donald Trump, discussion and media scrutiny has focused on Trump's grooming and hygiene habits. Fast Company observed that Trump's familiar hue was present as far back as his television series The Apprentice, which aired from 2004 to 2017.[1] It was reported he appeared more natural until 2012 outside of broadcast appearances, closer to his natural Scottish and German heritage.[1]
In 2019, The New York Times referred to Trump's coloration as a "conspicuously sun-kissed glow," and that "the president’s vibrant hue is so consistently present and meticulously maintained that it was a culturally embedded representation of him long before he entered politics."[2] Some White House staff have stated his coloration was the result of "good genes".[3][2]
Trump has complained he appears "yellow or orange" on screens.[2] The White House lighting levels were reduced during Trump's occupancy, as he prefers natural light for his presentation.[2] Trump has directed lighting changes at White House events to appear less orange.[3]
Trump's "beauty routine" has been described as "secretive".[4] Some reports claim Trump personally manages his own hair and makeup.[4]
In 2018 reporting of undocumented immigrants employed by Trump, The New York Times noted an incident where "stubborn remnants" of his makeup were difficult to remove from a golf shirt.[7] The Times again acknowledged a makeup incident involving a golf shirt in 2019, and that it had upset Trump.[5]
Kris Blevens, a makeup artist who has worked with every United States President since Jimmy Carter, including Trump as recently as 2023, observed that Trump's face was "bronzer" than other portions of his flesh; she surmised he deployed self-tanning agents to reflect his Floridian lifestyle.[1] In one makeup session, Trump asked Blevins if he needed "more color", but she dissuaded him, and compared the incident to a 2017 makeup session with Hillary Clinton where she similarly convinced Clinton to avoid a certain color of lipstick.[1]
Tina Alster, a noted capital dermatologist, posited that Trump used tanning related cosmetics, and noted the "telltale" sign of him appearing more "orangey than he does tan."[2]The New York Times reported that Alster had been approached by members of Trump's "orbit" in regard to improving his skin tone; she noted he appeared to have sun damage, but praised him for perhaps abandoning any sun-based tanning habits in favor of cosmetics.[2]
"The same rule applied to the Bronx Colors-brand face makeup from Switzerland that Trump slathered on — two full containers, one half full — even if it meant the housekeepers had to regularly bring new shirts from the pro shop because of the rust-colored stains on the collars."
Bronx Colors is a makeup cosmetics product from Switzerland.[5] The company, in the wake of media reports of Trump using it, confirmed the reporting discussed their product "Boosting Hydrating Concealer in orange," and offered shoppers a discount on the product afterward.[5] However, Bronx Colors declined to directly confirm if Trump was a customer.[5]
The New York Times reported that multiple Trump administration officials denied any tanning bed existed within the East Wing or aboard Air Force One.[2] Grisham stated that the White House had no tanning bed during her tenure.[6]
Hand makeup
On July 17, 2025, the White House announced Trump was suffering what they called chronic venous insufficiency.[12]The Daily Beast on August 22, 2025, described Trump as having worn a "thick layer of makeup", and noted he has used this multiple times on his hand since January 2025.[13] The White House had suggested Trump's health issues were due to "serial handshaking".[13]
During a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, Trump visibly wore hand makeup on July 27.[14]USA Today in August 2025 discussed Trump's makeup, noting that he wore "light foundation makeup" on the back of his right hand on the 22nd.[14] They reported his hand was visibly bruised in the same place on the 25th during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.[14]
Trump suffers from rosacea.[3] Due to his rosacea, for which Trump takes antibiotics to manage, he is "attentive" to his public appearance.[2] Additionally, the White House stated in 2025 that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency.[12]
Analysis
His preferred appearance of makeup cosmetics has been called an "orange hue".[3] Trump's coloration has been a subject of ridicule in the media.[3]
In the LA Review of Books, Allison Coffelt characterized Trump's skin coloration as a "perversion of indicators of youth and health."[4] Alice Bolin, writing for Racked in 2016, observed that "deviance from gender norms is not 'presidential'," but that Trump had managed to avoid expectations of gender normality.[4]
When Alec Baldwin impersonated Trump on Saturday Night Live, he requested the orange color be restrained; this was due to a request from Lorne Michaels to "not to over-orange anything out of malice."[3] Baldwin compared Trump's makeup coloration to both a "Mark Rothko orange" and "slightly paler Orange Crush".[3][2]
Jason Kelly, who worked at the 2016 Republican National Convention as a makeup artist, in 2016 attributed Trump's coloration to "the tanning bed, the spray tan, he wears the goggles and you can see the hyper-pigmentation around his eyes."[15] The director of airbrush design at Beach Bum Tanning believed Trump is likely using the wrong shade of makeup for his skin, applied incorrectly.[15]
Film industry makeup artist Brandi Boulet discussed with the Hollywood Reporter the challenges of having actor Sebastian Stan resemble Trump's makeup preferences in the 2024 film The Apprentice, and their reliance on archival media from Trump's earlier life.[17]
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