We Wanted To See Donald Trump Without His Famous Disaster Hairdo, So We Made It Happen

Donald Trump's hair has undergone many transformations over the years, not all of them good. The stylish 'do he sported back in the 1970s has since morphed into the gravity-defying signature coif we know today. When Trump isn't hiding his hair under one of his MAGA baseball caps, the former president favors an arrangement combining long side pieces, collar-length in the back, and a huge pouffy section floating above his forehead. No less an authority than Stormy Daniels revealed the strange truth behind Trump's famous hair: The controversial politician supposedly believes he'd be less powerful with shorter locks. Trump's hair color also changes shades frequently, from orange-y to strawberry blond to ash, platinum, or even a combination of all four. 

Reportedly, this phenomenon stems from the former commander-in-chief's impatience; he simply can't wait long enough for his dye job to set properly before demanding a rinse-out. Morbidly curious, we at The List decided to ask one of our brilliant Static Media photo editors to do a virtual hair revamping for him. How would Trump look if he toned down the teasing and opted for a more dignified color? With a little Photoshop magic, they made it happen — and we have to say, we don't hate it! In fact, we're tempted to send the photo over to Mar-a-Lago in the hopes that the notoriously vain Trump might take inspiration from it. It would certainly be a change from his habit of cutting his own hair with huge shears, as former press secretary Stephanie Grisham claimed. 

We asked our photo editor to make Donald Trump's hair look less, um, unique and more suited to the highest office in the land. The results are stunning; gone is the distracting, disheveled 'do that Trump sported in his courtroom appearances during the New York fraud trial. In its place is a neat trim that's far more professional. The Swoop has also been tamed into a calmer, less gravity-defying side bang. Best of all, in our view, is the color. Our editor did some tweaking to darken Trump's hair to a more natural ash brown, with dignified silver detailing at the temples and just a few threads of gray throughout. 

Far from aging him, the change makes the former POTUS look younger than his 78 years — a compliment he'd surely appreciate. On Trump's last birthday, he confessed to an audience of supporters, "There's a certain point at which you don't want to hear 'Happy Birthday.' You just want to pretend the day doesn't exist," (via ABC News).

The photo edit did leave one thing intact, however. Trump's skin tone is still the weirdly orange tan that frequently draws snickers from his critics. Even so, it's less of a harsh contrast with the darker hair than it is when paired with his usual tint. The overall picture is one of a man who actually looks as though he belongs in the Oval Office.

If you did a double-take seeing Donald Trump with a new hair color, we wouldn't be surprised. However, this isn't the first time The Donald has made a big change to The Coif. During his first bid for the presidency, Trump vowed to adopt a neater style if elected, "because this thing is too hard to comb," as he quipped at a 2015 rally (via The Des Moines Register), adding, "I wouldn't have time. If I were in the White House, I'd be working my a** off." It took a while for the former "Apprentice" host to get around to it, but in 2019, Trump fulfilled his promise by appearing at an event with his hair fully slicked back. 

thinking about that time in 2019 when Trump abandoned his spray tan and comb over and looked completely normal for exactly one day pic.twitter.com/UMw9gYKLy9

— martha #BeatMedicare (@allegedlymartha) March 10, 2024

It sparked quite a few jokes about Biff from "Back to the Future," so it's understandable that he went back to his pouf. Admittedly, we're not the first ones to tweak the former president's look. GQ gave him a Photoshop makeover back in 2017, complete with a short gray gelled 'do, a better-fitting suit, and a spiffy pocket square. We prefer our version, though. It gives off fewer Michael-Scott-in-Season-1-of-"The Office" vibes and makes Trump seem more like the man of the people that he often claims to be. Will the former president try a List-inspired makeover, or stick with the style he loves? Only time will tell.