Why Trump’s Clothes Don’t Quite Fit

October 25, 2016 in Daily Bulletin

The internet has been abuzz recently about Trump’s ill-fitting suits. John McDermott wrote that it’s not all that unusual for politicians to wear badly tailored clothes:

  • Campaigning for President is both physically demanding and full of unhealthy food at luncheons, town halls, and other community events.
  • Thus, a candidate’s weight can dramatically shift from one week to the next. Have a slim-fit suit and the weight fluctuations will become painfully obvious.
  • The hectic schedule also means that candidates run around a lot which leads to wrinkled clothing.
  • And anyway, there’s value to not looking well dressed – it helps candidates to connect with voters.
  • There are a few exceptions. JFK enjoyed looking good and would change his clothes several times a day to look fresh. Obama, too, is rarely caught looking frumpy.
  • Meanwhile as the first female Presidential candidate from a major American party, everything that Clinton does clothing wise is groundbreaking.
  • For the debates Clinton went for the tried and trusted – her clothes across the three debates were red, white, and blue.

Read more about the history of Presidential clothing, and how Reagan and Clinton approached it at Mel Magazine.