Donald Trump rolled up to Air Force One looking tired on Tuesday as he kept up his campaign blitz across the country, but his disheveled appearance exposed how much makeup he uses.
The president, 80, is headed to Texas for two campaign stops with just one week to go before the midterms.
In a rare move for the president, he wore no tie and left his dress shirt collar unbuttoned as he briefly spoke with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.
The dramatic color difference between the president’s makeup-covered face and pale neck was on full display as he spoke.
Not only were Trump’s tanned face and neck completely different colors, but onlookers could see the exact line where the president’s repeated application of makeup completely stopped.
Trump has long used a mix of tanning, bronzer, and makeup to achieve his signature permanently tanned look, which some critics argue is much closer to orange.
But his makeup use and failure to blend it in have drawn additional scrutiny since his return to office for a second term.
It’s unclear whether the president doesn’t care to blend it in fully or is completely unaware of how to apply product at this stage in his life.
While his tieless appearance on Tuesday as he headed to Texas was a jarring reminder of his frequent makeup use, he has also regularly used makeup to cover the tops of his frequently bruised hands since returning for a second term in the White House.
Tuesday morning’s appearance at Joint Base Andrews was no different, as he spoke with a large glob of ill-matched cover-up on his right hand.
The White House has repeatedly attributed the bruises on his hands to frequent handshaking while taking aspirin, but their explanation fails to explain why he has been spotted on multiple occasions with bruises on both hands.
The president has appeared exhausted as he returns to the campaign trail for rallies nearly every day in the final stretch before the election, as Republicans face headwinds while fighting to hold onto their majorities in both the House and Senate.
On Monday night, Trump returned to the White House from a rally in Mississippi just before midnight, then hit the road again on Tuesday.
While exiting Air Force One, he wore a sheen of sweat that would have made more sense under the right campaign rally lights, but it raised questions on the tarmac.
As he continues the campaign blitz and begs supporters to pretend he’s on the ballot at a series of rambling rallies, the president’s energy has been lower than before; his hair has been rumpled; and his voice has been hoarse in recent days.
