Photographer's Theory On Donald Trump's Increasingly Bizarre Bronzer Is Pretty Bleak (But Spot-On)

By now, Donald Trump's makeup fails are as predictable as his snide nicknames for his opponents. It's no secret that the divisive Republican presidential candidate wears some kind of bronzer, apparently hoping to appear tanned and healthy. But the shade of Trump's skin seems to vary from day to day, and a sharp-eyed photographer thinks she knows why.

On her Instagram account, former Time magazine photog Emily Keegin recently shared her theory behind Trump's changing tone. "We need to talk about the bronzer," she began. Though photo editors often tweak the color and brightness of their photos to make their work look its best, Trump's appearance can't entirely be explained away by a bluer filter. Then Keegin examined the time frame of the pictures, and a pattern began to emerge. "When Trump took office in 2017, he was significantly less orange," she mused. "But as his term went on...more bronzer was applied. The more stressed...the more makeup." 

Keegin points to the now-iconic image of Trump raising a defiant fist following the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, PA (above left). Just a couple of weeks beforehand, he had emerged the clear winner of the debate with President Joe Biden. His confidence was showing, but his makeup wasn't; in fact, Trump seemed to be sporting his natural pale skin tone. Then Biden announced he would be dropping out of the race, and Vice President Kamala Harris filled the spot. Suddenly, the Democratic campaign showed signs of life, and a Trump victory seemed less certain. The weeks following saw Trump looking more worn out than ever, and his skin color began darkening to reflect this. By the time he arrived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on a garbage truck, the orange shade was nothing short of bizarre.

"When [Donald] Trump was up in the polls and a victory was all but certain, the bronzer was not," photographer Emily Keegin pointed out to her Instagram followers. Now, she adds, his face is grotesquely dark, as though he'd fallen asleep in the tanning salon and left the machine running. Trump's most orange makeup yet, seen here, was in full view on October 30, as he mocked President Biden's comment about "garbage" supporters. "Believe me when I tell you. We've never seen him like this," Keegin wrote. She went on to point out that Trump even appeared to have put color on his hands; usually, there's a distracting contrast between his face and the rest of his body.

Venturing into psychological territory, Keegin speculated that Trump's darker appearance is covering up a host of personal insecurities. "The presence of an exaggerated mask implies an ego in utter despair, desperately trying to hide and overcompensate for perceived flaws and weakness," she wrote. The former prez first began sporting a bit of bronzer when he hosted "The Apprentice," and it became a part of his persona as he transformed from TV star to leader of the free world. (Think of all the times the adjective "orange" has been used to describe Trump over the years.) Since Trump appears to be coloring his skin ever darker as election day gets closer, Keegin suspects there's a good reason why. Posting a photo of the overly-ruddy candidate in his sanitation vest, she wrote, "So. I'm no [political analyst] Maggie Haberman. But looking at this picture, I can say with absolute certainty, Trump thinks he's losing."

Better keep an eye on Trump when the election results come in. If Keegin's theory is accurate, and if a President Harris is in our future, Trump's face might turn positively crimson.