‘What’s going on with Trump’s hair?’ Internet puzzled over president’s new brunette coiffure

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Dobkin, R. (2026, September 6). ‘What’s going on with Trump’s hair?’ Internet puzzled over president’s new brunette coiffure. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-hair-brunette-brown-b3045388.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-09-06 · by Rachel Dobkin

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump's recent photos show him with hair that appears darker than his signature blonde locks, sparking speculation online about whether it's a wig or another style. The new look has prompted jokes from social media users and commentary from critics like George Conway and Adam Kinzinger, who compared it to the hairstyle of a serial killer. Photos of Trump's lighter, thicker-looking hair were recently shared on social media, with some speculating that he wears a weave. Trump has repeatedly denied wearing a wig in the past.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-06, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Photos of President Donald Trump stepping off Air Force One at an airport in Morristown, New Jersey, have sparked speculation online about his hair color. Trump, who is 80 years old, appears to be wearing a darker shade of brown or brunette, which is different from his signature blonde locks. The photos were taken on Friday while he was spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster. Social media users are joking and speculating about the change, with some suggesting that it's a wig or that something is wrong with him under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, a constitutional provision for removing a president from office due to mental incapacity. Journalists and critics like George Conway and Adam Kinzinger are also weighing in on the issue, with Conway suggesting that Trump's hair needs to be addressed under this amendment.

Written for “Trump's Hair Makeover” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump's Hair Makeover
Entertainment · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Independent · 1.00 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 21 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the same photos of President Trump's hair and his actions at an airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Friday”
Fox News · 0.86 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 2 of 14 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles report on President Trump's new darker hair color, with photos taken at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey on the same day”
Both report
Both articles from different news sources, The Independent World and Fox News, report on President Trump's new darker hair color, with photos taken at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey on the same day. They share a common theme of social media reactions to the change in his hair color.
This one adds
The article from The Independent World includes a quote from a journalist who expressed surprise and confusion about the sudden change, while also mentioning that the Democratic Party's official X account shared a photo of Trump with seemingly thinner hair, suggesting that this is not just a temporary styling choice. This provides more insight into the online reactions to the new hair color.
The other adds
The article from Fox News includes user-generated content on social media, where users are sharing their reactions and jokes about Trump's new hair color, such as "Trump becoming a brunette was definitely not on my 2026 bingo card." This gives a more lighthearted and humorous perspective on the situation.
Framing
The article from The Independent World frames the story as a mystery or anomaly, with some suggesting that Trump may be wearing a wig. In contrast, the article from Fox News presents it more as a straightforward news event, without speculation about the cause of the change in hair color.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 2854 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Rachel Dobkin
83 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “I would say this is a slightly lesser event,” he then admitted.
🔮 The president has faced backlash, including from several Republican lawmakers, for waiving the new sanctions, days before they were set to take effect.
🔮 This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.”
🔮 “They get home, and they get smacked in the face by the mother and the father, maybe a little harder by the father.
🔮 Spicer defended Zacharia’s intelligence, but noted that it would serve Trump well to understand what it takes to be a successful White House press secretary.
🔮 As Republicans fight to keep control of the House and Senate in red states that would normally be easy to win, Musk, who previously worked at the White House for President Donald Trump, has been pouring money into GOP candidates.
🔮 Trump has been tirelessly campaigning in red states that would normally be easy for Republicans to win so the GOP can keep control of Congress.
🔮 Those who sought to bring down the Republic will answer for it,” Macron said, according to an English transcription.
🔮 Millennium Force was set to be closed until an internal review and a state inspection were conducted to ensure the safety of those in the park, a Six Flags spokesperson told the local outlet.
🔮 The witness said they believed he was wearing an “old man” mask and that he did not move as an old man would.
Also by Rachel Dobkin
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 83 articles by Rachel Dobkin →

Topics

Air Force One Bedminster Morristown Navy New Jersey

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 15× Aaron Rupar PERSON · 1× Bedminster GPE · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× George Conway PERSON · 1× Getty Images ORG · 1× Morristown GPE · 1× Navy ORG · 1× New Jersey GPE · 1× Yashar Ali PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“Is Trump rocking a wig, or what the hell is going on here?” journalist Rupar wrote on X. The official X account for the Democratic Party shared a photo of Trump with seemingly thinner hair and wrote, “This was Trump's hair less than 3 months ago.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-06
🔮 If I hadn’t pulled the photos from Getty Images myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

Claims (21 extracted, 0 hedged)

Photos of President Donald Trump stepping off Air Force One with hair that appears to be a darker shade than his signature blonde locks have sparked speculation on the internet. asserted
that → step → internet
Trump has long had to dispel speculation about his coiffure, specifically whether the 80-year-old wears some kind of wig, and the new photos are adding to the rumor mill. asserted
photos → have → mill
“What is [sic] the world is going on with Trump's hair?” journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X Saturday. asserted
Rupar → go → X
Trump was seen waving to reporters on the tarmac of an airport in Morristown, New Jersey, Friday, wearing a Navy suit and yellow tie — and, apparently, his new hairdo. asserted
Trump → see → suit
He is spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster. asserted
He → spend → Bedminster
“Something needs to be done about his hair under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment,” George Conway, a lawyer and Trump critic, wrote on X, suggesting it needs to be nixed. asserted
it → need → X
Journalist Yashar Ali posted photos of Trump at the airport and wrote, “The hair???? asserted
Ali → post → airport
If I hadn’t pulled the photos from Getty Images myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.” asserted
I → pull → it
Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, another frequent Trump critic, wrote in all caps, “You have got to be kidding me.” asserted
You → write → me
Several social media users mocked Trump over the hairstyle. asserted
users → mock → hairstyle
“Trump is now a brunette!” journalist Molly Jong-Fast wrote. asserted
Fast → write → ?
Anne Lamott, a novelist and progressive, posted, “I love it. asserted
I → post → it
Paul Rudnick, novelist and playwright, wrote, “Trump told his stylist, ‘I want to look like serial killer Rex Heuermann,’ referring to the New Yorker who admitted to killing eight women in a case known as the Gilgo Beach murders. asserted
who → write → murders
The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment. asserted
Independent → reach → comment
Trump’s hair raised eyebrows last month for another reason — his blonde mane appeared brighter and thicker. asserted
mane → raise → reason
People flocked to social media to discuss the coiffure that the president was sporting during a speech in Las Vegas last month. asserted
president → flock → Vegas
“Is Trump rocking a wig, or what the hell is going on here?” journalist Rupar wrote on X. The official X account for the Democratic Party shared a photo of Trump with seemingly thinner hair and wrote, “This was Trump's hair less than 3 months ago. asserted
This → rock → hair
“Trump has a weave!!” former congressman Kinzinger posted. asserted
Kinzinger → have → weave
At a speech in the White House Rose Garden Wednesday, Trump said, “For years, I had to suffer with people saying, ‘He wears a wig.’ asserted
He → say → wig
I don’t wear a wig.” asserted
I → wear → wig
Trump’s unusual hairstyle has proved a point of interest for decades and was a subject of discussion during his appearances on talk shows long before he entered politics. asserted
he → prove → politics
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