Donald Trump’s spectacularly orange face has always raised eyebrows — but now, new theories are emerging that could finally share the mystery…
”Why is no one covering this?”
Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for decades – but it was really during his first presidency that people began spotting his unusually orange complexion.
The 79-year-old president has long denied rumors of spray tans or heavy makeup, with one official even asserted his glowing hue comes down to nothing more than “good genes.” Still, the internet hasn’t ended mocking his tanned look, and new theories are now surfacing.
Photo editor Emily Elsie is among those questioning what’s really continuing. Sharing her thoughts on her Instagram, she commented: “Why is no one covering this very essential data point?”
Elsie showed images of Trump following last year’s assassination attempt, approaching them to more recent pictures. “In July 2024, Donald Trump looked like this… And now he looks like this,” she noted.
Dramatic color shifts
Elsie assumed the drastic color shifts were due to photo manipulation or lighting. “I noticed that Trump’s skin tone tended to oscillate wildly depending on lighting and the color palettes of the photographer,” she shared. “In a ‘cool’ light, Trump’s bronzer is less intense. A slightly warmer tone makes Trump’s ‘skin tone’ go crazy and orange.”
She added that Trump’s makeup once looked tailored for television cameras, which can break down natural tones. But lately, Elsie understands something deeper is at play. “When Trump took office in 2017, he was significantly less orange… but as his term wore on, more bronzer was applied.”
Her theory? Stress. “The more stressed Trump appears to be, the more makeup appears on his face,” Elsie said, pointing out that when he’s away from the Oval Office, his look often softens.
The turning point
Then came the pivotal moment: “After Trump debated with Biden in June 2024, the makeup all but vanished,” she revealed. “When Trump was up in the polls, and a victory was all but certain, the bronzer was gone.”
But Elsie recently discovered something new. “Believe me when I say that we’ve never seen him like this. Also, it appears that he is working his hands now.” She pointed to photographs of the president wearing makeup that appeared to cover his hands.
For months, Trump’s team dismissed questions, saying the discoloration was from “shaking people’s hands all day.” It was later shared that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, a popular condition that makes it harder for veins to send blood back to the heart.
Elsie commented that Trump’s makeup always seems to get “darker towards the end of his presidential campaigns.” And she recommended people take his changing look seriously instead of mocking it. “He is acting just like we do when we are a) insulated b) insecure c) surrounded by pictures of ourselves.”
