Donald Trump’s hair is a “flowey, inescapable flouf of tousled blondness,” in the words of Canadian journalist Daniel Dale, and his equally-vaunted orange crush skin tone is — the result of good genes? Seriously, that’s what they’re saying in the New York Times:
Mr. Trump has adhered to one constant: a conspicuously sun-kissed glow, one that has shone like a stoplight against Washington’s graying backdrop. Much like Warhol’s shock of white hair or Big Bird’s saffron plumage, the president’s vibrant hue is so consistently present and meticulously maintained that it was a culturally embedded representation of him long before he entered politics. [...]
The official line from the White House, as with other matters surrounding the president’s physical health and appearance, is that Mr. Trump’s glow is the result of “good genes,” according to a senior administration official who would speak only on the condition of anonymity.
And, O.K., a little powder — a translucent one, not a bronzer — which the president applies himself before television appearances, the official said.
They would have you believe that he’s just a regular dude, absentmindedly running a comb through his voluminous (natural?) hair and carelessly dabbing a bit of powder on his genetically perfect cheeks, because a real guy isn’t all that worried about sissy stuff like make up. Except we’re not talking about a real guy, we’re talking about Donald Trump, to whom style triumphs over substance any time, any day, in any scenario. How he looks is vastly more important than what he has to say. He has been known to obsess on “terrible lighting” and it’s been opined that Bill Shine was hired as communications director, so Trump could have an in-house producer to indulge his every diva whim. Axios:
Shine toyed with the lights, [prior to the Kavanaugh announcement] adjusted the podium and the microphone, moved objects in the backdrop, and conferred with the camera operator. He seemed oblivious to the other conversations happening around him.
- Hours before the announcement, Shine had gone to the East Room to test the lighting, according to a source familiar with the situation. He showed the president three different lighting options and Trump selected his favorite.
What we're hearing: Trump has been frustrated that some of his previous appearances on camera have not had the production values of the prime time TV shows he spends so much time watching.
- Trump frequently complains to aides about the "terrible lighting," sources who've been in the room for his outbursts have told me.
John Kelly was useless, he never gave Trump a choice of lighting designs.
Trump’s annual physical examination is Friday, and his superior genetic makeup will probably assure that he’s a trim 239 pounds at 6’3” — unless he’s grown an inch, which was reported last year.
In any event, he’ll be ready for his close up, Mr. DeMille. Because appearances are all that matters.
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[cross-posted to PolitiZoom]