How Trump’s 'threatening and creepy' obsession with looks is part of his 'regular guy' shtick
17 October
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Editor Naftali Bendavid tells the Washington Post that President Donald Trump paraded his obsession with appearance in the Middle East this week, complimenting the looks of Israel Defense Forces Chief Eyal Zamir and his own U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Dan Caine. He also heaped praise on the appearance of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling her “a beautiful young woman.”
“Where is she? There she is. You don’t mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are,” Trump said.
“His comments about people’s physical appearance are just one more piece of ammunition in his arsenal that he uses to lift people up or tear people down,” said former President Barack Obama Terence Szuplat. “If he likes you and thinks you are good looking, he says you’re from central casting; if he doesn’t like you and thinks you’re not good looking, he goes after you.”
Robert C. Rowland, professor of rhetoric and political communication at the University of Kansas, told Bendavid that Trump’s followers prefer his “raw” shallowness regarding physical appearance.
“It creates a sense that he is authentic,” said Rowland. “That sense of authenticity is really crucial in politics. If people think you’re fake they won’t accept you. … It creates a sense that he’s a regular guy despite being a crypto-billionaire.”
Women don’t react as well, however, said Deborah Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University.
“There has always been a lot of talk about comments on women’s appearance, but it’s usually their clothing or how their hair looks,” said Tannen. “[Trump’s] examples are different because it’s about the physical body. That is much more threatening and creepy and inappropriate.”
Bendavid said past presidents have focused on image and appearance. President Ronald Reagan famously stage-managed his appearances with patriotic backdrops and tightly controlled camera angles that merged his presence with crowd-pleasing themes of American pride. But University of Wisconsin rhetoric, politics and culture professor Allison M. Prasch said Trump’s motivation is different.
“Reagan was concerned with elevating people and places and moments that tell us something broader about the American story,” said Prasch. “Trump is not focused on a larger sense of identity; he is focused on one individual and his power to define them for good or for ill.”
While using appearance as a weapon against his foes, Trump acknowledges that is own physique is not enviable judging by his remarks on a visit to Argentina.
“I’d like to go to the beach. You know, my legs are not quite as thin as [Biden’s], since my legs are slightly heavy and my arms are slightly larger. My body is a little bit larger. I’m not sure it would be appreciated on the beach, but I’m not going to take a chance.”
Read the Washington Post report at this link.