Donald Trump’s distinctive hair has sparked speculation for years – from wig rumours and combover claims to alleged scalp reduction surgery – but what is really under that iconic style?
Donald Trump has existed in the public eye for decades. From countless television slots to The Apprentice, and now holding the planet’s most powerful position – lenses are constantly trained on the Don. And one aspect that consistently captures public fascination is his barmy barnet.
During a recent outing at Las Vegas‘ Red Rock Casino Resort, he seemed to debut a fresh style complete with what was mockingly dubbed a “weave”.
His look sparked comments across social platforms after pictures of Trump at the gathering surfaced on X, with claims the 80-year-old US President boasts “more hair” than previously and was even sporting makeup.
One commentator even likened Trump to a film role portrayed by the late, great Robin Williams, posting: “Can we impeach President Mrs Doubtfire already?”
Trump’s locks have consistently drawn scrutiny. Indeed, they’ve generated chatter for years, but what lies behind the “wig” speculation? Writer Michael Wolff, who authored Trump titles including Siege: Trump Under Fire, claims he has the answer.
Completely bald
On the Daily Beast podcast Inside Trump’s Head, Joanna Coles questioned Michael about his thoughts on Trump’s hairstyle. She remarked: “What is that on his head that he debuted last night, Michael? It looks like a hamster.”
He declared: “Well, I can tell you what’s under Donald Trump’s hair, and what is under Donald Trump’s hair is nothing.” He then gestured towards his own head, where there was no hair at all, and asserted that this was what Trump’s scalp resembled.
Michael went on: “You see the top of my head. I can do it. That’s actually what the top of Donald Trump’s head is like.”
He proceeded to highlight how “surprising” it was that Trump’s locks remained unaffected by strong winds or helicopter downdraft, but he attributes this to the “cemented down” effects of hairspray.
Michael proposed that Trump’s hairstyle forms a key element of his “identity and career”. He alleged adult film star Stormy Daniels once questioned the POTUS about it, with Michael claiming he provided a frank response.
Paraphrasing Trump, Michael revealed: “And he said, you know, I was a handsome guy, you know. I had a great head of hair. And then I started to lose it, so I started to compensate for it.
“And that suddenly became what people were talking about when they talked about me. And I realized that this was a, you know, a brand differentiator that they remembered me because of my hair.”
Ivanka exposing it
Michael previously outlined how Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, may have spilt the secret about his hair. In his book, Fire and Fury, Michael claimed she would treat her father with a “degree of detachment”.
He went on to claim that Ivanka even went so far as to “make fun of his combover to others”. He reiterated his claims in the recent podcast episode, branding it the “greatest” combover “of all time”.
“I have a description of Ivanka at a moment in time when she was still amused by her father and often making fun of her father, describes the elaborate architectural process of maintaining that dome over nothing.
“I mean, one of the greatest – I think we can safely say the greatest – combover of all time.”
Making matters worse, Ivanka also allegedly revealed how he maintains such a vibrant colour. Michael further alleged in the book that he achieved this with a “product called Just for Men”, but “impatience resulted in Trump’s orange-blond hair colour”.
Scalp reduction
Perhaps the most eye-opening of the claims about Trump’s hair is that he had scalp reduction surgery in 1989. In a 1990 divorce deposition under oath, Trump’s late ex-wife Ivana Trump claimed he’d had the painful procedure.
She alleged her plastic surgeon, Dr. Steven Hoefflin, had performed Donald’s waist and chin liposuction procedures and also performed his scalp reduction surgery. Harry Hurt III wrote in the Lost Tycoon that the recovery was painful and Donald suffered “nagging headaches caused by the shrinking of the scalp, and the pain of the initial incision.”
And Michael Wolff, in his book, also claimed he had “a contained island after scalp-reduction surgery”. Trump himself has never confirmed he had such surgery.
Scalp reduction is not a procedure that is commonly performed these days and is usually reserved for extreme cases of alopecia or traumatic burns to the scalp.
According to cosmetic surgery site The Private Clinic, the procedure “involves removing a section of skin from the scalp before it is sewn back together, essentially stretching the skin that contains healthy hair follicles with the premise of moving the follicles on the scalp closer together to give the impression of a full head of hair”.