‘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 7). ‘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/donald-trump-new-hair-brunette-brown-colour-b3045680.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 2026-09-07 · by Rachel Dobkin

Quick Summary

Journalist Aaron Rupar posted on social media asking "What's going on with Trump's hair?" after photos emerged showing the President with darker locks, sparking speculation about whether he wears a wig or if this is a new hairstyle. The photos were taken at an airport in New Jersey on Friday, where Trump was seen waving to reporters before spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster. Several social media users have mocked or joked about Trump's hair, with some speculating that it may be a wig or weave. The White House has not commented on the matter.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-07, 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.
‘What’s going on with Trump’s hair?’ Internet puzzled over president’s new brunette coiffure same event · 100%
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”
Trump appears to debut darker hair, sparking online buzz same event · 100%
Fox News · 0.86 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 2 of 14 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles describe the same occurrence, President Trump's arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey on 2026-09-07”
Both report
The two articles describe President Trump's arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey on 2026-09-07, noting that he appears to have darker hair than before.
This one adds
The Independent article specifically mentions a journalist, Rupar, who questioned whether Trump is wearing a wig, and shares a photo of Trump with seemingly thinner hair from the Democratic Party's X account. This suggests a more critical tone towards Trump's appearance.
The other adds
Fox News provides a quote from an X user who jokes that Trump becoming a brunette was not on their bingo card, indicating a lighthearted reaction to the news. Fox News also notes that they were unable to reach The White House for comment.
Framing
While both articles are neutral in tone and simply report on the event, the Independent article's narrative spread is larger, suggesting it may be drawing more attention to Trump's appearance as a story.
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 2026-09-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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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.
2026-10-22 · assertive framing · Trump moans Lindsey Graham respected his sister more than him while stumping for her
🔮 The president has faced backlash, including from several Republican lawmakers, for waiving the new sanctions, days before they were set to take effect.
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Trump calls media members ‘dummies’ and ‘stupid’ a day after his Oval Office tirade
🔮 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.”
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Ramaswamy sees betting odds plummet over controversial ad using opponent’s mother
🔮 “They get home, and they get smacked in the face by the mother and the father, maybe a little harder by the father.
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Trump compares hecklers at North Carolina rally to rioters in Paris
🔮 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.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Trump’s first press secretary warns him to stop focusing on looks for his next pick
🔮 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.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Elon Musk is on Democrats’ ‘list’ to target if they win midterms: report
🔮 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.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Trump immediately interrupted by several ‘idiot’ protesters in Kansas: ‘It never ends’
🔮 Those who sought to bring down the Republic will answer for it,” Macron said, according to an English transcription.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Trump was about to unload on a reporter. Then she uttered 8 words that calmed him
🔮 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.
2026-10-19 · mixed framing · Another Six Flags roller coaster shut down due to safety issue
🔮 The witness said they believed he was wearing an “old man” mask and that he did not move as an old man would.
2026-10-19 · mixed framing · Convicted serial robber used old man disguise to hit even more banks, prosecutors say
Also by Rachel Dobkin
Trump moans Lindsey Graham respected his sister more than him while stumping for her
2026-10-22 · The Independent
Trump calls media members ‘dummies’ and ‘stupid’ a day after his Oval Office tirade
2026-10-21 · The Independent
Ramaswamy sees betting odds plummet over controversial ad using opponent’s mother
2026-10-21 · The Independent
Trump compares hecklers at North Carolina rally to rioters in Paris
2026-10-21 · The Independent
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.”
2026-09-06 · The Independent
‘What’s going on with Trump’s hair?’ Internet puzzled over president’s new brunette coiffure · assertive framing
2026-09-07 · The Independent
‘What’s going on with Trump’s hair?’ Internet puzzled over president’s new brunette coiffure · assertive framing

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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