President Donald Trump publicly begged photographers to “make me look thin” during a GOP retreat speech at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday—and Democrats wasted no time responding with a gallery of the 79-year-old’s most unflattering photos.
“Not the photographers’ fault,” the Democratic Party’s X account shot back, posting four candid images of Trump taken from less-than-flattering angles: sweaty golf course shots, awkward close-ups, and the kind of photos that no amount of camera magic can fix.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Trump was addressing House Republicans when he spotted photographers in the crowd, including Doug Mills of The New York Times—a Pulitzer Prize winner for his images of the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump.
“Pulitzer Prize! Right there. Pulitzer Prize! He got one for the bullet,” Trump said. Then came the ask: “Make me look thin for a change, Doug. You’re making me look a little bit heavy. I’m not happy about it.”
OF COURSE: This isn’t Trump’s first meltdown over unflattering press photos. In October, he threw a Truth Social tantrum after TIME magazine used a low-angle cover shot that highlighted his drooping neck skin and made his hair “practically disappear into the sky.”
“They ‘disappeared’ my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one,” Trump wrote. “Really weird! I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles.”
THE DETAILS: According to his April physical, Trump stands 6’3″ and weighs 224 pounds—putting his BMI squarely in the “overweight” category. His physician has still cleared him as being in “excellent health.”
The president’s lifestyle isn’t exactly helping his cause. Florida state senator Joe Gruters once watched Trump consume McDonald’s fries, a Filet-O-Fish, a Quarter Pounder, and a Big Mac in a single sitting. Trump famously has a button on the Resolute Desk dedicated to summoning Diet Coke.
As for exercise? “I just don’t like it. It’s boring,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal. “To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that’s not for me.” His main physical activity remains golf—though he’s known to drive a cart between holes rather than walk.
BOTTOM LINE: When you’re the president of the United States demanding press photographers Photoshop reality for you, maybe the problem isn’t the cameras. The White House did not respond to requests for comment about the Democratic Party’s post—probably because there’s no spin that makes this one look good.