6 Donald Trump Makeup Fails That Had Everyone Buzzing

They say you can't judge a book by its cover but the whole world is judging Donald Trump by his cover-up. There's a reason why the divisive politician is known as Agent Orange, as filmmaker Spike Lee calls him, and it only partially has to do with Trump's various hair transformations including several different shades of tangerine. The 45th and soon-to-be 47th President of the United States is also seen regularly with an orange complexion.

As witnessed during his appearance in Green Bay, WI, on October 30, 2024, the former "Apprentice" host is no stranger to makeup fails. He donned an orange safety vest to a campaign rally, paired with a red tie. The skin above his collar matched, the two hues seeming to combine to form the color on his face and neck. It wasn't the first time for this particular makeup move, and if his history is anything to go by, it won't be the last.

But not all of Trump's beauty disasters are purely down to orangeness. There have been multiple times over the years when every person who owns a makeup bag has shaken their head and thought, "I could do better" (and they likely have). In fact, maybe Trump's relationship with his wife should involve some beauty lessons, based on the plethora of photographic evidence documenting his many very public cosmetic offenses to date. 

For someone who seems to really like piling on the makeup, Donald Trump apparently skimped out on one very important cosmetic product while speaking at the Donald Trump National Doral Golf Club in Doral, FL, on July 9, 2024. The two-time president tried to keep it casual by losing the tie and donning a MAGA cap. In truth, the hat was probably there to keep the humidity from ruining his trademark swoop of hair, but he really should have paid more attention to what the weather would do to his face, too.

Florida in July means heat, and heat means there's going to be sweat happening. Trump owns a house in Florida, so he's well aware of the climate, yet he seemed to negate any setting powder that would keep the perspiration at bay, and the shine off his face. Instead, we got a glistening chin, cheeks, nose, and eye bags. But let's give kudos where it's due — at least he had the good sense to wear a foundation product that was waterproof. There's no leaky trail á la Rudy Giuliani and the great hair dye blunder of 2020.

Let's face it, the wind is no friend of Donald Trump. When it blows, all of the politician's carefully applied lotions, potions, and sprays fail under duress, and his true self is exposed in all its, er, glory. At a campaign rally in Muskegon, MI, on October 17, 2020, a stiff breeze revealed a very obvious distinction between his natural skin tone and the heavily made-up version just below it. A better makeup job would have included a little bit of blending, so that if his hair lifted, there wouldn't be such a distinct line along the edge of his tresses. 

It's a mistake that the controversial politician appears doomed to repeat, because four years later, he was still showing up in public with the same defined borders around his face. During an episode of "The View," on October 14, 2024, co-host Anna Navarro pointed out another shot of Trump with similarly dodgy markings. Navarro then held up a small, squishy object and helpfully advised, "I want to show the Trump campaign, this is a makeup sponge. You use it to blend." 

She continued with an allusion to Trump's first presidency, when he was infamously laser-focused on creating a wall between Mexico and the United States (which he attempted to coerce Mexico into funding, to boot). Thus, as Navarro hilariously declared, "I think the biggest border crisis that Donald Trump is encountering at this moment is the border between his real skin and his bronzer." 

Granted, when you're facing 34 felony counts, your makeup might not be a priority, but if you're going to take the time to slap on some foundation, you may as well take an extra minute or so to make sure it's done right. Halfway through his hush-money trial, Donald Trump seemed to completely give up on his appearance, as proven by photos of him in the Manhattan Criminal Court on May 13, 2024. Sitting in front of the judge, it looked as though, beneath his fuzzy white hair, the former president completely forgot to apply his makeup to at least an inch of skin — distractingly, right between his eyebrows. 

We're guessing that he swiped just once across his forehead, and didn't do the dip down to spread the product properly, leaving a reddish-pink patch of skin exposed. Adding to the color spectrum on the two-time White House resident's face was a peachy hued bronzer or heavy foundation that covered most of his face. 

There was also a yellow tint around his eyes, which was either an attempt at an under-eye concealer gone terribly wrong, or the lack of a color-corrector applied beforehand. Perhaps he was going for a theme? A colorful face for a colorful history?

We've all seen the makeup mishaps of stars on the red carpet who used too much under-eye concealer, making them look like reverse raccoons. But in the case of Donald Trump, his makeup fail above wasn't about too much. Rather, it was a problem of none at all. On April 21, 2016, the divisive politician sat down in Rockefeller Center for an appearance on the "Today" show. As the cameras zoomed in, you could clearly see a contrast between Trump's orangey skin and the much paler area around his eyes.  

There have been rumors for years that the 47th US president is an avid tanning-bed user, with one-time "Apprentice" contestant and former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault-Newman even revealing in her tell-all book that it was part of his daily morning routine. With that information, it's been suggested more than once that the paler skin around Trump's eyes is because he uses an eye mask or goggles while tanning. 

In 2019, while serving his first term as commander-in-chief, such stories were dominating so many headlines that the White House felt compelled to respond, strongly denying that any tanning was taking place, and clarifying that the president's complexion was his own natural glow. Whether the orange is tan-made or man-made, there should have been some sort of product blended onto his eyelids and under-eye bags for a matching finish. 

Donald Trump suffers from rosacea, which causes the skin to turn red, sometimes leading to weeks or months-long flare-ups. In order to dull the flaming color and create a more even skin tone, people with rosacea often use foundation. As for Trump, he uses whatever is on his bathroom counter. On August 26, 2024, the then-presidential candidate made a stop at Trump Force 47 campaign headquarters in Roseville, MI. Standing in front of a microphone, his complexion was a decidedly Oompa Loompa shade of orange, made even worse by the contrast with his fluffy yellow hair, and the similarity to his crimson neckwear. 

As graduates of the first grade, we all know that when you mix red and yellow together, you get orange. On this particular day, it seems as though the controversial candidate may have forgotten that lesson, applying his usual shade of foundation or bronzer (most likely with yellow undertones) on top of a particularly vibrant flare up, resulting in a strong Willy Wonka homage. A better move would have been to keep a color corrector on hand for rosacea-flare-up days, applying it first to tone down the red, before using some foundation. Come on, Melania, this is Makeup 101 — share the green corrector with your hubby!