Does He or Doesn't He?

Photo of Trump ignored by leaders at G7 in France, June 2026
MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images

For many years, rumors about Donald Trump's body odor and possible urinary and fecal incontinence have circulated on social media. The gossip is often accompanied by photos that may have been manipulated or generated with AI. In some cases, real, undoctored photos that seem to reveal unpleasant stains or strange bulges are enlarged, scrutinized, and submitted as proof.

How credible are the claims about trump's personal hygiene?

• Noel Casler is a writer, podcaster, and comedian who worked on Celebrity Apprentice for six seasons. He has often shared his observations of Donald and other Trumps. Among other things, Casler has said that Trump would frequently soil himself, as a result of drug addiction and poor diet. Casler has also commented on Trump's corruption and moral turpitude. As a witness who was present while the show was being produced, Casler has credibility.

• Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican Congressman, described Donald Trump's odor as a blend of "armpits, ketchup, a butt and makeup" and said, "I'm genuinely surprised how people close to Trump haven't talked about the odor." As someone who has been in physical proximity to Trump on many occasions, Kinzinger has credibility.

• Kathy Griffin, a comedian who appeared twice on The Apprentice, has said that Trump "smelled really bad." Having met Trump in a professional context gives Griffin's claim credibility.

• Various anonynous and semi-anonymous persons on social media claim to have met Trump and to have noticed his terrible body odor. Without knowing who they are or what the details were of these encounters, their credibility is low.

• Bob Woodward, a journalist who interviewed Trump and wrote books about him, was quoted as having posted on Twitter that Trump smelled bad. However, this tweet, widely shared online, was fake, posted by a satire account. There have been other fake stories, supposedly from staff members who find it hard to work around Trump because of his odor. There have been other posts from people who claim, without evidence, to have been contacted by credible sources reporting incontinence and foul odors.

• Many observers view photos of odd-looking bulges in Trump's pants as evidence of diapers. Photos from news agencies are credible, in that they depict what was actually seen, but there is no proof of what caused the bulges. Unless he removes his pants in public, what he wears underneath them is still just speculation.

• Some photos of events appear to show people physically distancing themselves from Trump, standing by him but turning away, or making facial expressions that indicate distaste. There are also photos that show people standing near him and smiling. During interviews, Trump is usually seated several feet away from the interviewer. This practice started during the Covid epidemic, and is now standard procedure.

• A conventional online search along with an AI query did not find any reports of people claiming that Trump smells good. Nor was there any evidence that people close to Trump have actively denied the bad smell claims.

• Donald Trump has a history of filing lawsuits for defamation, but so far has not sued anyone over the incontinence or odor claims.

Does It Matter?

Many people experience incontinence because of health problems beyond their control. By itself, this is not necessarily a sign of mental decline, immorality, or inability to work. However, incontinence can be a symptom of Alzheimer's and other dementia types, as well as a sign of some other diseases. The same is true of neglected personal hygiene. The physical and mental health status of the White House occupant is a legitimate, important concern for Americans.

 

"Unworthy of Life"

This excerpt is republished, with permission, from "Let's Go Somewhere Else".

Much of what we know about the WWII concentration camps comes from the Nazis' own documentation of events; they kept meticulous records and took many photos. They were intent on documenting everything they did, because at some point Hitler wanted to set up a museum about the extermination of the Jewish race.

Upon being deported from their home countries, the prisoners were often told that they would be moved into new homes. They were instructed to bring with them their most valued possessions and to mark their suitcases with their names so that they could retrieve their things at a later date. Thousands of suitcases and many tons of personal possessions were found in Auschwitz after the war, and are now displayed at the memorial.

Suitcases brought by the prisoners, with their names and addresses for "future retrieval".

Upon arrival at the camp, the prisoners were sorted by gender, age and the ability to work. The handicapped were immediately put to death, but the evidence of their existence remains.

Crutches and artificial limbs of the murdered prisoners.

• The Murder of People With Disabilities
• The Trump Administration's War on Disability
• The Precarity of Disability Rights

 

Whose Mail Is It, Anyway?

Photo by Mathyas Kurmann on Unsplash

As you probably know, the war on voting includes a campaign to eliminate voting by mail.

donald has now issued a proclamation instructing the Postal Service to deliver ballots only to people whose names appear on a list approved by the federal government.

There are many obvious flaws in this plan. People who oppose it point out that

• the states, not the feds, have authority over elections
• governing elections by executive order, rather than by Congress, is not legal
• the lists would rely on DHS databases known to have serious errors

One problem I have not seen mentioned is not really about voting, but about the Postal Service. Normally, USPS delivers the mail. Someone addresses an envelope or package, pays the postage, and it is delivered to the addressee. The Post Office does not determine whether you are entitled to receive the mail that is sent to you. Thus, junk mail for every person who ever lived at this address is still delivered, even though they haven't been here in years. Birthday cards will be delivered even if it isn't really your birthday. I can use a pen name or have things sent to my imaginary friend at this address. The Post Office is in the business of delivering mail, not screening and determining whether the recipient deserves it.

Aside from interfering in elections, Dear Leader's order, if carried out, would set the precedent of allowing the Postal Service to filter your mail and decide what you're allowed to have.

• Link: Analyzing the Executive Order on Mail Voting

 

One Man's Ego

Around the year 64, the Roman emperor Nero commissioned a huge statue depicting himself as a god. The bronze statue, designed and constructed by the Greek architect Zenodorus, was approximately 115 feet high, comparable to our Statue of Liberty. It was so heavy, it took a team of 24 elephants to move it. The statue was not covered with gold.

Known as the Colossus of Nero (Colossus Neronis), the statue was parked outside the Flavian Amphitheater (Amphitheatrum Flavium), which was eventually renamed the Colosseum. We know what this monument looked like because it was represented on coins and medallions.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

At the time, it was controversial (and somewhat offensive) for a still-living emperor to be portrayed as a god, something that had been done previously by Caligula. After Nero's suicide, the statue was modified to represent the sun god Sol. Emperor Commodus had the head replaced, along with other modifications, to depict himself as Hercules, but after his death, it was restored as Sol.

The Colossus of Nero was destroyed, possibly during the Sack of Rome or in the fifth-century earthquakes. The remaining bronze was salvaged and melted down, and may have been used to make cannons. Today, the only remaining traces of this monument to narcissism are some of its concrete foundation stones on display near the Colosseum.