Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated attempts to prove that he has a full head of hair, some people continue to believe that the commander-in-chief sports a toupee. On 11 March 2019, Twitter user Paul Lee Ticks posted a video that supposedly showed Trump removing his hat and accidentally revealing a bald head:
While the footage may seem real at first glance, it reveals digital manipulation upon closer inspection. For instance, if you watch Trump's hand closely as he runs it through his nonexistent toupee, you can see that his hand is passing through his skull. If this video were authentic, balding would be the least of Trump's health problems.
Another indication that the video is fake is its source, Paul Lee Ticks, a Twitter user who frequently posts memes, political jokes and digitally manipulated videos, writing in his biography that he is "Changing the world by any memes necessary."
The original video was taken at Mar-A-Lago on 9 March 2019 and shows the president talking to a few of his supporters. At one point, the president removes his hat and makes a joke about his hair being messy.
In the original video, it's clear that Trump is running his hand through his messy hair and not over a bald scalp:
"I said you know what, I'll sneak out, play golf, I'll come home and relax." Trump said yesterday at Mar-a-Lago. Laziest and most corrupt president ever. pic.twitter.com/7my3O9H1Mk
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) March 10, 2019
Here's a side-by-side comparison to better show the difference between the real video (featuring Trump with hair on the left) and the doctored clip (featuring a bald trump on the right):
The viral video supposedly showing Trump without a toupee was digitally manipulated. However, that doesn't mean the mystery surrounding Trump's hair has been solved. An authentic video seemingly showing something amiss with the president's hair gained circulation in February 2018.