The nature of Donald Trump's hair has been the subject of speculation for decades. Is it a hairpiece? Did he undergo hair transplants? Is it merely an unusual styling. Or, as an image of his mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump suggests, is his coiffure a family trait?
A photograph purportedly showing Donald Trump's mother is often met with skepticism (and occasionally mean-spirited jokes) in large part due to the pictured woman's strong resemblance not just to her son's facial features, but to her uniquely Trumpian hairstyle:
This image achieved online virality in June 2016, after a documentary entitled "Who Is Donald Trump?" that included a 1997 interview with Mary Trump aired on the Australian television channel Foxtel, and a screen grab made the social media rounds:
This photo of Donald Trump's mum looks like a character in a film about Trump's life where Trump plays all the roles pic.twitter.com/eUXbfFT0X5
— Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) July 26, 2016
Who wore it better: Donald Trump's mom or this dollop of whipped cream? pic.twitter.com/IJbJ0xl51C
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) July 26, 2016
As US Weekly reported at the time:
In the screen grab from a 1997 interview with Australian TV network Foxtel, Mary is seen with an extremely tall and swoopy combover in the exact same shade as the Republican presidential nominee’s famous coif. She’s wearing big gold earrings and a large pearl necklace, and the uncanny family resemblance is undeniable.
The New Daily similarly reported of the documentary:
Cue a clip of Mary Trump, sporting a startlingly similar hairstyle to that adopted by her son, offering this warning in an interview more than 30 years ago:
“I don’t think the life of a politician would suit him. He’s too used to doing things his way and doing them right.”
Although we have yet been able to view the original interview, other photographs and videos of Mary Anne MacLeod Trump show her with a similar features and hairstyle:
