As Donald Trump made his way back into the Oval Office for his inauguration, it wasn’t long before we saw his orange hue from a distance.
Millions across the world watched on in anticipation as Mr Trump took up his second four-year term in The White House, with many questioning his first moves in power. But while his policies are being talked about, there has been widespread speculation over the 47th president’s often ‘orange’ appearance.
The 78-year-old, who has already served as the country’s 45th president, has been rumoured to use fake tan and bronzer, with photographs showing patches of various shades on his face. Fake tan can help make anyone who is a little pale feel much more confident, especially in the winter months.
But why does Mr Trump turn to the tinted lotion so liberally? The Mirror heard from celebrity makeup artist Safia Cox, who gave her verdict on what he’s using and why.
The question on most people’s lips is, what is he actually using? While some think he’s overdone it on the sun beds, Safia said: “I think he uses some sort of fake tan or tinted moisturiser with a bronzer. I 100% do not think it’s sun beds as it would be a completely different tone.
“I think it’s some sort of fake tan or some sort of tinted moisturizer with bronzer, and he’s then used powder with it. It’s definitely some sort of cream product that he uses and has probably mattified it after because it’s so orange,” and added: “You can see the rim around his face. If you look closely at his hairline, it’s very pale, and that’s not from sunbeds; he’s slapping some sort of cream product on.”
It’s clear over the years Trump has used more and more of his mysterious cream, and Safia thinks the liberal use of it could be an insecurity response. She explained: “I think his makeup has changed over the years, and I think it as he’s got older and potentially a little more insecure. The ever changing orange hue has become the subject of many internet discussions and memes – with people wondering why he likes to be so orange.
“He has pictures taken of him and cameras on him a lot, so he must think it’s a good look, and some people say when he’s stressed, he uses more tan. If you look at photos of him towards the end of campaigns, he’s much more orange,” Safia shared. Many claim he could have “fake tan blindness” and this is something the makeup expert agrees with. It comes after a viral trend on TikTok where people had ‘eyebrow blindness ‘. The strange-sounding trend is essentially what it says on the tin – you’re blind to how ‘bad’ your eyebrows look.
“He has orange blindness or fake tan blindness, and I don’t think he realises,” the makeup expert declared. “It’s not a nice bronze, he doesn’t look like he’s just hopped off a plane he just looks like he’s layered on fake tan. It’s bizarre; he’s either really insecure, and it’s for confidence and thinking he looks good, or he’s being clever and doing it to get people to talk about him.”
An earlier version of this story was published in November 2024.
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