Trump Commits The Ultimate Makeup Sin During Dr. Phil Interview

Former President Donald Trump committed the ultimate makeup sin in his new interview with Dr. Phil, which included many interesting soundbites, such as his bizarre claim that Jesus would deem him the winner of California in the election if he visited Earth — in the flesh. "I guarantee if Jesus came down and was the voter counter, I would win California," said Trump in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. "In other words, if we had an honest vote counter, a really honest vote counter," he explained. Yeah, bizarre. 

Despite giving one of the most mind-boggling quotes of his political career, Trump's appearance was working overtime to steal the spotlight. And no, it's not because some witty host has conjured up more jokes about Trump's orange skin or the other peculiarities surrounding around his signature look. Rather, as Trump hopes for a future where he could return to the White House for a second term, he's inadvertently brought back a relic from the past: the 2000s-era makeup trend known as concealer lips, which, of course, requires replacing your lip products with concealer. And while Trump likely didn't mean to contribute to the revitalization of the outdated trend, he's doing his part all the same. 

Here's everything you need to know about concealer lips.

To be clear, only Donald Trump and his beauty squad know which product, if any, was used on his lips prior to sitting down with Dr. Phil. But judging from this close-up of his mouth during the interview, it sure looks as if he's embraced the super divisive trend known as concealer lips. But just what are concealer lips? Well, back in the 2000s, beauty enthusiasts, famous or otherwise, used to ditch lip gloss and lipstick and instead painted their lips with concealer. Why? Like many trends from yesteryear, they thought it was aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, as evidenced by this TikTok video, not even Rihanna evaded this minimalist trend. And now Trump has seemingly joined the fray!

Anyway, if Trump is your style inspiration, then you're probably trying to figure out how to recreate the look from his Dr. Phil interview. Fortunately, Bustle consulted makeup artist Shirranda Edwards, who explained the hallmarks of the original trend and the ways makeup lovers have tweaked it to fit today's standards. "Back then, it was used all over the lips, which left them looking undefined and non-existent," said Edwards in 2023. Now, things are different. "The appeal is that you can create a fuller look on the lips with something you already have on your shelf," she continued. "No matter the finish, this technique will deliver a nice ombré effect." Hmm, not so sure if Donald followed these instructions. 

While we're on the topic of Donald Trump's makeup fail and other possible grooming habits, we have to mention the fact that another tool to achieve his signature look has been confirmed by one of his former employees. In 2018, Omarosa Manigault claimed in her book, "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House," that her former boss relied on a personal tanning bed in order to put his best foot forward. "He prefers to do it in the morning so he 'looks good' all day," she wrote (via US Weekly). Manigault also revealed that Trump's chief usher, Angella Reid, lost her job for poorly managing the device.

In 2023, Cassidy Hutchinson, Trump's former employee, wrote in her memoir, "Enough," that Trump's hesitance to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic wasn't purely because of his desire to make his own decisions. "I slowly shook my head," she wrote. "The president pulled the mask off and asked why I thought he should not wear it." She continued, "I pointed at the straps of the N95 I was holding. When he looked at the straps of his mask, he saw they were covered in bronzer." Apparently, that was a dealbreaker for the politician who replied, "I'm not wearing this thing." Hutchinson added, "The depth of his vanity had caused him to reject masks."