President Donald Trump’s hair has been the subject of wonder for more than a decade, and on Wednesday, Sept. 2, he firmly denied allegations that he wore a wig, citing a windy 2024 campaign rally.
During a speech at the White House Rose Garden dinner on Sept. 2, Trump recalled speaking at a 2024 campaign rally in Ohio for then-Senate candidate Bernie Moreno.
“I went up to the speaker, and it was blowing so hard,” Trump said about the wind that day. “I don’t wear a wig. But that night, they found out I did not wear a wig because if you did, it was not going to be on your head very long.”
Trump’s hair has long been the subject of ridicule from his critics, with comedian Rosie O’Donnell in August alleging that the president's hair was fake and actually
a wig.
“You’ve got to realize it’s time to hang up your wig and let Natalie tuck you in,” O’Donnell said, referring to White House aide Natalie Harp, while filling in for Jimmy Kimmel on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
A long-time fight for Trump
Even during his first term, Trump had to deny that his hair was fake.
“I don’t wear a toupee; it’s my hair, I swear,” Trump said during a 2015 campaign rally.
“This is getting crazy,” Trump said while pulling on his hair.
Most recently, during a speech about the economy in Las Vegas on Aug. 5, the internet noticed that the president's hair was fuller than usual. Journalist Aaron Rupar immediately questioned the new mane, saying, “Is Trump rocking a wig, or what the hell is going on here?"
Also, while speaking at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Trump said: "I try like hell to hide that bald spot, folks. I work hard at it."
Trump's longtime doctor, Dr. Harold Bornstein, told The New York Times in 2017 that the president takes four different medications daily, including one that combats male-pattern baldness. The drug Bornstein references is finasteride, an oral prescription medication used to treat hair loss in men and for an enlarged prostate, according to Mayo Clinic.
USA TODAY’s Michelle Del Rey contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Trump on hair: 'I don't wear a wig'
