Michael Wolff claims Trump's signature hair is 'by design' to stand out from other political figures

Michael Wolff also shared how Donald Trump used his controversial appearance to have a slight edge over Joe Biden during the 2024 election
PUBLISHED JUN 6, 2025
Michael Wolff discussed Donald Trump's signature hairstyle on 'The Daily Beast Podcast' (Getty Images)
Michael Wolff discussed Donald Trump's signature hairstyle on 'The Daily Beast Podcast' (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump's hairdo has been a topic of debate over the years, as people have often questioned its color and styling. Despite this, the POTUS has stayed firm in his assertion that his hair is the real deal.

However, author Michael Wolff, who has published several books about the commander-in-chief, suggested on 'The Daily Beast Podcast' that Trump's signature hair is "by design" and the reason behind it.



 

Michael Wolff claims Trump's signature hair is to stand out against other political figures

Michael Wolff said during the podcast that Donald Trump's signature hairdo is to stand out against other political figures.

The author noted how the POTUS used his controversial appearance to have a slight edge over Joe Biden during the 2024 election, according to OK Magazine.

"He looks gray. He’s washed out. You know, his hair is — what’s left of it — is gray. The skin is gray. The suits are gray," Wolff said about Biden.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. President Biden continued the tradition inviting the newly-elected president to meet at the White House after Trump won the presidential election on November 5. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Former president Joe Biden meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on November 13, 2024, in Washington, DC (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

He added, "And Trump would point out, 'Look at him. Nobody even sees him. Everybody notices me.'"

The author elaborated, "Which is absolutely true. And side by side, you know, who do you notice? You notice this guy, this appalling-looking guy who is Donald Trump, and not just the relatively normal old man-looking guy that Biden was."

Wolff added, "He looks that way because he thinks that’s an effective way to look."

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House May 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump signed executive orders related to the nuclear power industry. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on May 23, 2025, in Washington, DC (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Moreover, he also referenced Stormy Daniels’ 2018 book, 'Full Disclosure', where she cited a story from her alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

Daniels wrote in her book about how Trump claimed "every celebrity stylist" offered to fix his "ridiculous" hair.

According to Daniels, the president said, "Everybody talks about it. It’s my thing. It’s my trademark. Plus, if I let this person do it, it will just p*** off all these other people. ‘Well, why did you let him do it?’ I know a lot of people who would kill to do it. The best. The best of the best."

Donald Trump's hairstyle over the years

In the 1970s, Donald Trump had a flair for fashionable hairstyles. As he was forming his billion-dollar real estate business, he opted for an organic hairstyle at 30.

A decade later, in the 1980s, he changed his hairstyle and started parting his hair from left to right, which he continues to this day. His hairline hadn't started receding by this time.

American real estate magnate Donald Trump with his first wife, Ivana (nee Zelnickova) at the Costume Institute Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 9th December 1985. (Photo by Tom Gates/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Donald Trump with his first wife, Ivana (nee Zelnickova), at the Costume Institute Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, on December 9, 1985 (Tom Gates/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

However, in the 1990s, Trump's hair started to recede. The future POTUS underwent an alleged scalp reduction in 1989, as per the divorce papers filed by Ivana Trump and later written in her 1993 memoir 'Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J Trump'. 

In the 2000s, Trump started experimenting with his hair color. He tried the "Cigar-Stained-Teeth Blonde" and "Burnt-Cheetos Auburn" during this time, as per Vanity Fair

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 10: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks at the Detroit Economic Club on October 10, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Michigan is considered a key battleground state in the upcoming presidential election, holding 15 electoral votes. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Donald Trump speaks at the Detroit Economic Club on October 10, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

The 2016 presidential campaign took a toll on Trump's hairstyle. Many noticed his duck-tail-shaped hairstyle during the campaign trail. He continued with the same style after he won the election in 2016. 

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