There is no shortage of things to dissect about Donald Trump in the wake of his re-election. But, aside from politics, there is one facet of the President-elect’s numerous eccentricities that keeps cropping up: the unique hue of his skin.
The soon-to-be leader of the free world has inspired fierce debate about his dedication to colouring himself increasingly intense shades of orange. In the run-up to the election, one theory, posed by photo editor Emily Elsie, suggested Trump’s tanning dependence may be stress-related.
In several widely shared Instagram stories featuring pictures of Trump gradually becoming more orange, Emily said: “I used to think the problem with Trump’s ‘skin tone’ was primarily an issue of photo retouching, aka a photographer’s choice in colour balancing. In a ‘cool’ light Trump’s bronzer is less intense. A slightly warmer tone makes Trump’s ‘skin tone’ go crazy and orange.
“But lately, I feel like something more psychological is happening. When Trump took office in 2017, he was significantly less orange… but as his term wore on, more bronzer was applied.”
Perhaps Trump’s ever darker tan is a form of psychological armour in the face of increasing public attention and criticism. In order to get to the bottom of the matter, we spoke to historians, psychologists and tanning experts about how he achieves his unique look – and why he insists on maintaining it in the face of mass ridicule and confusion.
University of Glasgow sports historian Dr Fabiola Creed, who has conducted extensive research on tanning culture, has a few theories.
“I personally believe that Trump is likely having professional spray tans. It’s too orange for certain beds, and even the tanning injections and nasal sprays that most celebrities who are super tanned stipulate more of a brown tone on white skin.
“Yellow-orange tones are also really good at hiding weight gain and signs of ageing as you get older. It also adds a layer of wealth connotations.”
Heidi Bray, Professional Tanner for Beautii.co, a luxury beauty concierge for at home Spray tan treatments, says: “I would definitely say he has gone for an automated tanning booth. You stand in front of it and it’s all dependent on how quickly you move – there’s no consultation process to see what color the person likes, or to assess undertones. Looking at him and those white patches around his eyes also suggests he’s had goggles on.”
Tanning expert and celebrity tanner Eloise Maryam suggests: “He’s definitely going for the wrong colours for his complexion. It might be that sometimes green base is needed to counteract the orange and with a professional they do need to look at the client’s complexion and then decide which product is going to suit that skin tone.”
The era of Trump’s ascent to superstardom – prior to his second act as a politician – could also go a long way towards explaining his penchant for a certain look. Back in the 80s, a few years after Friedrich Wolff’s 1975 invention of the sunbed, tanning was such big business that it was being used to advertise cars.
Alison Owen, lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of Staffordshire, who has conducted extensive qualitative research around people’s tanning practices says: “In 1988, BMW released its advertising campaign for its convertible 325i car with the tagline: ‘The ultimate tanning machine.’ I thought that was so interesting that the era that we associate with Trump is right around then.”
“He was always rubbing shoulders with bodybuilders, super wealthy tycoons and WWE stars in the 1980s”, says Creed.
“He was in his 30s, he was up-and-coming. When the tan and wealth association really boomed, all these technologies came up to help people to reflect material wealth. Perhaps it made him feel more successful.”
The 80s were also famously the era in which Trump’s business choices very nearly squandered his growing empire. According to The New York Times, by 1990, he was already $3.4bn (£2.6bn) in debt and “personally liable for $832.5m (£641m) of that. He had bought a yacht for $29m (£22m), the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan for $407m (£314m) and a failing airline for $365m (£281m). All were losing money.”
By the time his tanning had become noticeable in the early 2000s, around the time of the arrival of The Apprentice, it’s possible he had come to equate a deep tan with success, wealth and health.
Creed explains: “In surveys as well as qualitative research where I’ve interviewed people about their tanning behaviours, I’ve found similar responses from women and men. I would say about 80 per cent of people report that they feel that they look much better with a tan. And about three-quarters of men and women say that they feel that tanned people look more healthy, or that they feel they look more healthy with a tan.”
Some have speculated that Trump’s tanning practices may have links to his mental health. Conjecture about Trump’s cognitive abilities have certainly grown more popular in recent years, particularly in the face of behaviours that many deem to be odd.
Although there’s no definitive proof that the President-elect is experiencing cognitive decline, defiant behaviour has long been associated with conditions such as dementia – and could explain why someone suffering such a condition might decline to reign in a habit like excessive tanning.
In emerging research, body dysmorphia has also been associated with tanning.
“Maybe there is a layer of body dysmorphia” says Creed, who also suggests it may simply be what Trump considers attractive. “He clearly cares about his aesthetic. Whether there’s body dysmorphia in that I don’t know.”
Owen adds: “I did some quite interesting research a while ago with a researcher called Aaron Blassill in America with 1,500 participants. We found that people who feel more negatively about their appearance, were actually at significantly increased skin cancer risk. So, in other words, they were significantly more likely to not look after their skin, to use sun beds or to try to get tan skin and are at an increased risk of sort of engaging in these more negative tanning behaviours.”
Back when he was president, the White House’s official line on Trump’s beauty regime was that he simply has “good genes”. Medication, however, could also explain the mystery. In 2019, The New York Times reported: “Certainly Mr. Trump, who has long taken antibiotics to treat rosacea, a condition that can make the skin appear rosy and ruddy, is attentive to how he looks on television. He has complained that his skin and hair appear too yellow or orange on the screen, according to one person familiar with his views.”
Dr Creed says: “If you look beyond the spray tan, he could also be taking supplements and there are a whole host of new vitamins and pills which will also stimulate orange hues in the skin.
“Now, the other thing is, he’s 78 years old. I don’t know anyone in their late 70s who isn’t having some kind of medication. It could be issues with the liver or kidney. Because again, when you’re on certain medications, if you are having issues with your kidneys and liver, your skin colour can be affected. Jaundice is the main one that everyone thinks of, which is yellow, but different biological makeups can [present] orangey and brownish tones.”
Perhaps, given the rich, complicated history of tanning among white and lighter-skinned people, Trump’s attachment to tinting his skin isn’t quite as strange as it first appears. As for how much more extreme his tanning may become, as with his politics, only time will tell.
