President Donald Trump appeared to have a different hairstyle on Sept. 4, the latest chapter in the long-running public interest in his hair.
Photos of Trump as he exited Air Force One in New Jersey en route to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster appeared to show his hair looking darker than usual. Trump has famously sported blonde hair, but it appeared brunette in photos taken at the Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey.
The apparent change came days after he denied allegations that he wore a wig.
"I don’t wear a wig," Trump said in a Sept. 2 speech describing a 2024 campaign rally. "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 Labor Day weekend trip
comes as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified earlier this month. The war has sent gas prices to over $4 per gallon on average on the popular travel holiday, as diesel costs hit record highs.
Social media reacts to Trump's look
Photos of Trump's latest look quickly spread across social media, where users debated everything from its color and styling to whether anything had changed at all.
Social media commentator Yashar Ali said that "If I hadn’t pulled the photos from Getty Images myself, I wouldn’t have believed it."
"If everyone keeps mocking this, there will be hell toupée," Jeopardy! champion Hemant Mehta said in a post on X.
Other users expressed confusion, while some argued the photos were simply the result of lighting, camera angles, or different styling.
The president's hair has long been the subject of discussion, with comedian Rosie O’Donnell in August claiming Trump's hair is 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!"
The Sept. 4 photos are not the first time that questions have swirled around Trump's hair.
Following a speech about the economy in Las Vegas on Aug. 5, the internet noticed that the president's hair appeared fuller than usual. Journalist Aaron Rupar immediately questioned the new mane, asking, "Is Trump rocking a wig, or what the hell is going on here?"
Trump's longtime doctor, Dr. Harold Bornstein, told The New York Times in 2017 that the president took four medications daily, including finasteride, a drug commonly used to treat male-pattern baldness. According to the Mayo Clinic, finasteride is a prescription medication used to treat hair loss in men and an enlarged prostate.
USA TODAY reached out to the White House for comment.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's apparent hair color change sparks buzz on social media
