President Donald Trump unveiled an unexpected change to his famously recognizable appearance Friday, stepping off Air Force One in New Jersey with hair that appeared significantly darker than his usual golden-blond color. The near-brunette look quickly drew widespread attention online.
Trump was spotted with the darker hair after arriving in Morristown for a weekend visit to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. The president has long been known for his distinctive swept blond hairstyle and has rarely made dramatic changes to it.
The apparent transformation quickly became a topic of conversation across social media, where users expressed surprise at seeing Trump with such a different look.
“The hair????” posted journo Yashar Ali.
“If I hadn’t pulled the photos from Getty Images myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Jeopardy champ Hemant Mehta joined in with a hair-related pun, writing that “If everyone keeps mocking this, there will be hell toupée.”
Another social media user suggested the change might simply be seasonal, observing that “Summer’s almost over,” and so it is “a natural time to switch from bottle blonde to brunette.”
Author Annie Lamott offered a more enthusiastic assessment of the president’s altered appearance.
“I love it. So youthful. Very Pierce Brosnan,” author Annie Lamott remarked.
Trump went golfing Saturday with Fox News anchor Bret Baier and several others, but the president wore a red “Trump was right about everything” hat that covered his hair. As a result, it was difficult to determine whether the darker appearance seen Friday represented an actual change or was merely temporary.
There was no immediate indication of how long Trump might keep the new look, assuming the apparent color change was intentional.
Although Trump has largely stuck with his signature hairstyle over the years, he has occasionally departed from it. During a 2019 visit to a church in Virginia, he appeared with his hair slicked back, producing a look somewhat reminiscent of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hairstyle.
That experiment proved short-lived. Later the same day, Trump was seen once again wearing his hair in its familiar style.
Trump’s hair attracted public fascination long before he entered the White House. Over the years, speculation has included claims that he wears a hairpiece as well as reports that he underwent a scalp-reduction procedure, an allegation that surfaced in divorce proceedings involving his late first wife.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump addressed some of the speculation in memorable fashion during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Trump, who has frequently spoken about his aversion to germs, allowed Fallon to tousle his hair on camera in an effort to demonstrate that it was real.
