Copyright Atlanta Black Star
Donald Trump‘s longtime political frenemy has let the cat out of the bag, confirming the decades-long speculation about the president’s orange appearance. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 63, was one of the challengers in the Republican presidential primaries in 2016 and 2024. Trump, 79, went on to win the primary election in both years before securing a victory in the 2016 and 2024 general elections. They went from allies and even friends to becoming rivals, noting Christie’s cutthroat remarks about Trump’s behavior and administration. ‘What a Joke’: Gavin Newsom Serves Ruthless Takedown After Karoline Leavitt Turns Trump’s Press Briefing Into a Comedy Hour Christie recently appeared on an episode of The Dispatch’s “Advisory Opinions” podcast, where she discussed a past encounter with Trump on Air Force One during a period when the two GOP members were on friendlier terms. “We were campaigning together prior to Super Tuesday, and he has a bedroom in the airplane, and he retreated to the bedroom when we were about 15 or 20 minutes out from landing,” the former federal prosecutor recalled in August. He continued, “I heard him yell, ‘Chris, come here.’ So, OK. I walked back to the bedroom, and he was putting makeup on himself. He does his own makeup. You might be shocked to learn.” Christie claims Trump then said to him, ‘Come here. You need a little makeup.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, no. I’ll pass.’ And he said, ‘No, no, no.’ He goes, ‘You look tired. You got circles under your eyes. You need me to give you a little bit of makeup.’” According to Christie, he repeatedly refused to put on makeup, which eventually led Trump to tease him that once he exited Air Force One, the media would mockingly ask, “Who’s the old guy with Trump?” The Dispatch reposted a clip on Instagram of Christie telling his Trump story in October 2025. Critics of the president had a field day making fun of the billionaire’s signature tinted face coloring. “Not at all surprising that he does his own makeup! No self-respecting makeup artist would let his foundation go unblended,” one Instagram user posted about Trump. A second person sarcastically wondered, “You mean this guy is in Pumpkin Face?!?!? Who knew?!?!” Still other critics weren’t surprised. “We can tell.” “It’s obvious.” “Doing it on his own explains a lot.” Vice President JD Vance caught a stray when a critic of the Trump administration expressed, “Does he put on Vance’s makeup too, because the picture I saw of him today, his eyeliner was a little thick.” However, Christie faced some pushback as one skeptic of the politician-turned-pundit wrote, “On this episode of: Things that never happened. So I’ll make them up because I’m a fat sore loser.” Christie is not the only former Trump confidante to expose the New York native’s supposed techniques to achieve his pumpkin-hued skin tone. Per Vanity Fair, former White House aide and “The Apprentice” star Omarosa Manigault Newman, 51, claimed in her 2018 book “Unhinged” that her ex-boss traveled with a tanning bed. Stephanie Grisham, who served as the 32nd White House press secretary during the first Trump administration, provided additional behind-the-scenes insight into the MAGA leader’s public presentation. “The president’s look was created with makeup that he put on his face every morning, as if he were going to be appearing on a TV show. Which, in a sense, he was,” Grisham, 49, stated in her 2021 memoir “I’ll Take Your Questions Now,” according to The Associated Press. Since the start of his second term as president in January 2025, speculation about Trump using makeup to cover up bruises on his right hand has become a regular topic among politicos, as people pay close attention to his health. Current White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, 28, suggested the bruising on Trump’s hand was caused by excessive serial handshaking. Physician Capt. Sean Barbabella later acknowledged the president was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which can lead to hyperpigmentation.
