It’s no secret that former President Donald Trump has been fixated on his mug shot lately. To stymie his worries, he is particularly about the experience of aging aesthetic. But now at almost 80, Trump is unrepentant in his hair loss frustration. He complains on his new social media platform Truth Social about the bad texture of what was once his surpassing shock of hair. Perhaps more importantly, his latest tirade gives us a glimpse into both his fight against the ravages of time and his current cosmetic fixations.
In one of his latest tirades against the authorities who are prosecuting him, posted on Truth Social, Trump complained about a mugshot showing him with extremely poor hair. He attacked the picture as a bad faith example. He shouted, “They ‘zapped’ my hair and put something on the top of my head that looked like a little secret crown!” Really weird! As someone who has never enjoyed shooting under angles, it felt abrasive to make double the flips. This one is uniquely egregious and truly deserves the ire. What are they doing, and why? This commentary highlights his almost pathological, decades-long concern with how he’s represented in the press.
Trump’s hair has never been a normal topic of discussion, or public discussion. The flatness of the blooms, their color and texture has led observers to liken it to “angel hair pasta.” Others have noted the state’s unusual metallic yellow wave. These side by side comparisons, like the ones above, only exacerbate the attack he’s under for the way he looks. Though he is getting older, Trump is intent on maintaining a persona that appeals to his base. Indeed, he seems to be perennially whining about how the press covers him.
Trump doesn’t solely use social media as a platform to air his complaints. He’s become the master at using that fame to sell every other kind of product to his loyal followers. His business interests have extended to hats, steaks and even wine. Of late, though, he could have finally found a follow-up as well with hair restoration products. Nutrafol is the brand transforming the hair regrowth industry from the inside out. Their formulation includes great ingredients such as kelp and tocotrienol complex. Given Trump’s history of marketing products, it is not surprising that he might consider such options as he confronts the realities of aging.
Despite advances in cosmetic solutions for hair loss, many observers note that Trump’s situation may be representative of a broader truth regarding aging. As he approaches 80, it is only natural for time to catch up with him. Unless he magically becomes an outlier like some long-lost Kennedy cousin or Rolling Stone, these consequences will apply to him as well.
The story behind Trump’s focus on his appearance goes beyond mere vanity. It’s the story of identity, societal norms, and public perception. His hair has become shorthand for his brand. It acts as an appendage to the persona he has created throughout his entrepreneurial and political careers. This obsession with aesthetics is not limited to beauty. It exposes the increasingly complicated relationship between image and power in our new political reality.
Commentators have offered opinions on this subject. Dave Schilling remarked, “Look at that hair! The guy under it isn’t so bad, either!” However, contrary to Meadows’ witness testimony, this observation underscores that Trump is indeed up against the clock. Yet, he remains a powerful political force who continues to strike a tremendous chord with Americans.
Trump is indeed doing these very things in public, and dangerously so. His obsession with personal image, the hyper-principled prickliness that has defined his public life, are all in evidence here. Too many are losing in the centuries-old war with Father Time. Few do so while withstanding the kind of relentless fire that public figures like Trump experience.