Donald Trump has always had a particular figure, but a widely circulated photo of the president has viewers focused on the optics of one of his meetings.
As a U.S. leader and a man known for wanting to be in control, he had no control over the chatter on social media about his Cabinet members’ disengaged, disgruntled look.
No one mentioned his signature orange hair or the fact that he was more concerned with charging his phone mid-meeting. More specifically, viewers were zooming in on, wondering what was going on with Trump’s shoulders.
At first glance, the photo appeared routine, showing Trump hunched over in his chair with his elbows on the table, dressed in a familiar suit-and-tie combination that has long been part of his public uniform. He appears to be scrolling through social media on his phone, which is plugged into a power bank.
But this time, the proportions seemed off. His shoulders appeared unusually wide, almost inflated, creating a silhouette that prompted discourse on the quality of his suit and whether the president could dress.
One person on Threads wrote, “Oh man, Trump’s shoulder pads almost make me feel sorry for him. He wants so much to be a big boy.” A second responded, “I mean he is the president lmao.”
Another added, “He looks like he’s wearing a life jacket.”
“His shoulders must be tiny old Joe could kick his arse,” a third user quipped.
Others took a harsher tone. “Suits come with shoulder pads built in, buddy exposed himself for being broke and never dressing nice in his life,” one person wrote.
View on Threads
Not everyone agreed with the pile-on, as one defender wrote, “To the schmucks claiming every suit has shoulder pads, I own hundreds and assure you they do not.”
The reactions quickly grew beyond the single image, originally taken in 2024 during his online discussion with Elon Musk, reigniting conversations about Trump’s wardrobe and how his appearance doesn’t always fit or portray the message he intended.
He has often been seen with wrinkled clothing, oversized shoes, and loose clothing, and has even had aides adjust his shirt collar while on the golf course. Each appearance disrupts his macho, polished image, even in front of other world leaders.
That dynamic was already in play months earlier during Trump’s Nov. 18 meeting at the White House with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On paper, nothing about Trump’s outfit departed from his usual look. He wore one of his standard blue suits, paired with a white button-up shirt, a red tie, and black dress shoes. Still, viewers watching footage of the meeting sensed something was slightly off, even if it was difficult to articulate.
As the two men walked through the White House together, including a stop along the Presidential Walk of Fame lined with portraits of previous commanders in chief, cameras captured the contrast. Salman’s traditional robe and cloak appeared smooth and unwrinkled, while Trump’s blazer and wide-legged pants looked less pressed, as though they had missed a final steam or adjustment.
The bulky-shoulder photo fit neatly into that ongoing narrative, connecting it to earlier discussions about bunching fabric, wrinkled trousers, and suits that seemed to sit awkwardly in motion. Each image added another layer to a debate that rarely strays far from Trump’s appearance.
Fast forward to the floating photo of him in his phone … what should have been an ordinary cabinet meeting instead sparked a full-blown conversation about the president’s attire, leaving many on the internet trying to explain Trump’s bulked-up shoulders.
