The Trump Family's Worst-Dressed Moments Of 2024

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The year leading up to their return to the White House was strange for the Trump family style-wise. While those swayed by the MAGA message can concoct reasons to justify their votes for Donald Trump, a man who won the presidency with legal issues outnumbering the presidents America has had, they might find it more difficult to defend some of the outfits the Trumps wore in 2024.

If Donald and his family learned anything from their first go-around in the White House, it was how to shove everyone else out of the way and insist upon headline space. Sometimes, they did this with their clothing. Ivanka Trump made several inappropriate fashion choices while working as one of her dad's senior advisors, and one of Melania Trump's biggest controversies during her husband's first presidential term was a coat.

As for Donald, he has two sartorial settings: golf and everything else. He also likes his suits like his penthouses: roomy throwbacks to eras of unfettered decadence. However, Trump Tower's meretricious decor is stuck in the era of Louis XIV, while Donald has been wearing an '80s relic, his dumpy Brioni "power suit," for years. But sticking to the classics didn't save him from making a style snafu in 2024, as he and his family rarely dressed to impress. The message sent to the American people through their clothing was that they had no plans to bring glamor, class, and sophistication to Washington.

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While winning the presidency diminished his chances of ever wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, Donald Trump can't quit his favorite blend of Ronald McDonald red and yellow. Trump, a fan of gold sneakers and the Golden Arches, added an extra dash of orange to his look for a campaign stunt in Wisconsin. He swapped part of his signature business suit for a garment he has no business wearing: a safety vest in that vibrant neon hue meant to serve as a warning to avoid something.

Trump was cosplaying as a garbage man in response to a gaffe made by Joe Biden, whom Trump was no longer running against at the time. Biden seemed to refer to Trump supporters as "garbage" in response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" during Trump's Madison Square Garden rally. Per USA Today, the White House insisted that Biden had only called Hinchcliffe's comments "garbage." But Trump wasn't about to accept that clarification and forgo the chance to live out every 5-year-old boy's fantasy. He struck back by wearing an orange vest and riding in a custom garbage truck with his "Make America Great Again" slogan plastered on it. At least he didn't toss garbage at his supporters in a callback to his 2017 visit to Puerto Rico, where he lobbed paper towels at hurricane victims.

The terracotta tones of Trump's inexplicably orange skin clashed with his far brighter hi-vis vest. The safety gear also didn't complement the red-and-white striped tie tucked underneath it. However, he wore the vest onstage later during a rally, where he revealed what his aides said to convince him to keep it on: "It actually makes you look thinner."

After Election Day ended and Americans learned that Donald Trump would be making a triumphant return to the Oval Office, there was one question on the minds of those who love cryptic clothing: what message was Ivanka Trump trying to convey with her outfit? For being the daughter of the conservative victor, she wore a liberal amount of blue — the color of the opposition.

It's more common for the women of the MAGA to wear Republican red to major political events in an apparent demonstration of their party loyalty. However, after working closely alongside her dad during his first administration, Ivanka announced that she was ditching politics amid Donald's third campaign. So, was her color choice a sign of her displeasure with her father's future political plans? She stood onstage with him during his victory rally, so she couldn't be that opposed to them. Other possibilities are that her outfit was a call for unity or a way to assure Democrats that there's someone in Donald's orbit who doesn't consider them "demonic," which is what he called them during one of his final rallies of 2024.

Or perhaps Ivanka was trying to look shagadelic — add a lace jabot to her blue velvet pantsuit, and it would make a great Austin Powers costume. Whatever her reasons, she really should have just worn a different color. After a long, exhausting night of nerves, the last thing most Americans wanted to be worrying about was what was going on with a nepo baby's wardrobe.

In response to Joe Biden's inadvertent trashing of Trump supporters, Donald Trump Jr. set out to prove that it's wrong to write his political brethren off as garbage — by dressing as garbage for Halloween. However, he didn't think his costume through. The message he seemed to be sending was that being trash — the useless, stinky stuff that consumers send off to landfills every week — is something to be embraced. "I'm garbage like the rest of you deplorable and irredeemables!!!" he proudly proclaimed on Instagram. Shockingly, his teen daughter, Kai Trump, wasn't too embarrassed to pose for a photo with him.

Donald Jr.'s costume was a black garbage bag with a bunch of trash taped to it, but it looks like he possibly raided the recycling bin to find items that wouldn't make him reek, such as wads of packing paper and plastic bottles. By repurposing the waste, at least he made his outfit environmentally friendly. He wore a "Make America Great Again" hat and a matching flag around his neck. He likely did not intend for these pieces to be considered garbage, but opinions may vary.

With his MAGA cape, Donald Jr. looked like a new nemesis for Captain Planet: Lieutenant Litter. Such a character would be right at home in his dad's administration, as Donald Trump considers the Environmental Protection Agency a sworn enemy. But the worst part of Donald Jr.'s costume was his footwear — those suede clog monstrosities belong in the wastebasket.

A surprising number of the Trump family's fashion fails of 2024 were inspired by garbage. Eric Trump also jumped on the trash trend for Halloween, but his costume lacked originality. The black garbage bag he wore featured no embellishments or trim from the garbage bin.

Eric added a MAGA hat to his ensemble to let fans know that he was supposed to be garbage. Without it, he could have been mistaken for a giant raisin, Kesha at the 2010 MTV VMAs, or one of the nurses who had to wear trash bags to work when his dad was in charge of the country during the pandemic because they weren't being provided with enough protective equipment.

Meanwhile, Eric's wife, Lara Trump, dressed up like that shining beacon of hope and freedom, the Statue of Liberty. It has long symbolized America's history of welcoming immigrants to its citizenry, but Donald Trump doesn't share Lady Liberty's hospitality. Even when it comes to legal immigrants. As you can see in the photo above, one of Eric and Lara's dogs, which appears to be clad in a taco costume, is hanging its head in shame.

Kimberly Guilfoyle's list of inappropriate outfits is as long as Donald Trump's rap sheet. After leaving her role as a co-host on "The Five," she seemed to get stuck in style stasis — she couldn't cease and desist from stepping out in the high hemlines ubiquitous at Fox News. But her skirt's succinct length was arguably the least significant issue with the dress she posed in for prom photos with her son, Ronan Villency.

Guilfoyle's pastel blue frock was a cloyingly coquettish confection with puff sleeves. A row of silver bow appliques marched down a deep cutout on the bodice, which extended downward along her sternum. The opening widened as it reached her lower ribcage to expose a large triangle of skin. The dress was a pastel blue hue at odds with Guilfoyle's dark eye makeup, smokier than the Grand Havana Room cigar club — the location of a notorious meeting between former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort and a Russian intelligence officer. Guilfoyle's beauty look was giving bronzed vampire seductress at a Halloween party. But her outfit could have doubled as an Easter placemat.

What made the ensemble truly odd was that Guilfoyle had gotten so gussied up for a night that was supposed to be about her son. It was as if she was hoping that Ronan and his date would invite her to join them at the big dance, where her sexed-up spring look probably would have been met with a lot of snickering and judgmental teen stares.

The stealth wealth trend clearly isn't something Lara Trump is on board with — she wants everyone to know that she can afford to pluck a peacock's entire tail to make her dress. During a visit to Mar-a-Lago, she laid an egg with her ostentatious befeathered outfit, which seemed to be an attempt to out-tacky the garishly gilt interior of her father-in-law's Florida nest. In contrast, her nude heels were a snooze and an attempt to lengthen her muscular legs, the result of Trump's obsession with fitness.  

While Cruella de Vil loves a dress decorated with bits and pieces of beautiful beasties, the villain would have rolled her eyes at the unimaginative construction of Trump's mini dress. It had an arts-and-crafts quality, but a 6-year-old armed with a glue stick and an armload of peacock feathers (which aren't all that expensive) probably would have come up with a more creative design.

Trump was sending mixed messages by covering her torso with peacock tail feathers. While they can symbolize everything from royalty to good luckto some superstitious types, they are emblematic of devilry because the eyespots on the plumage represent the "evil eye." And if you look at Trump's dress for too long, it just might give you the eerie sensation that it's staring at you.

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Speaking of Cruella de Vil, at Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, Melania Trump did a slightly better job channeling the Disney villain, whose only concerns are her wardrobe and the incompetence of the men around her. But while her zebra-striped Michael Kors coat brought to mind one of the costumes Glenn Close wears in "101 Dalmatians," it lacked the extravagant flourishes that make Close's outfit look expensive and stylish, such as the wide black belt, faux mink sleeves, red PVC boots, and matching gloves. However, it served as a reminder that Melania's sons-in-law would make great Cruella minions, as they enjoy killing safari animals for fun.

Apologies to Kors, but Melania's coat bore a striking resemblance to the garments included with some pimp Halloween costumes. It also lacked the sumptuousness and evident artistry seen in many of the ridiculously expensive outfits Melania has worn in the past.

Kors was an eyebrow-raising designer choice, as he is a Joe Biden donor who participated in an event with Melania's former rival for the first lady role, Jill Biden, a before the MSG rally. Another issue with Melania's jacket was that the stripes just weren't striping enough; they were on the thin side, so they looked muddled from a distance. But perhaps the piece was just the best option for sending the message that a zebra doesn't change its stripes amid rumors that Melania was unhappy about Donald's 2024 presidential bid.

Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump seem locked in a battle for the ultimate fashionista in the family. Unfortunately for Ivanka, the Roberto Cavalli dress she pulled from the archives to attend a bat mitzvah with Jared Kushner didn't score any points to add to her ongoing tally.

The gown looked a little too vintage; the jewels adorning it had lost some of their shine, and the overall design was a throwback to the '80s. However, while it's easy to imagine Ivanka's late mother, Ivana Trump, walking the red carpet in it during that decade, the heavy-looking halter-neck dress was from Cavalli's 2006 fall/winter collection.

The cutout on the bust exposed some cleaved cleavage, making the look a slightly risque one for a tween's coming-of-age party. The silver piece wrapped around the sides was also a bizarre addition, resembling a carapace or wings covered with dull jewels. There was something vaguely insectoid about it. The matching, fan-shaped detail on the neck looked like it could have been yanked from the hall of mirrors at Trump Tower, which is a cheap imitation of the one at the Palace of Versailles. Those sharp points on the bust also appeared a bit dangerous. At least her sister-in-law was ready to save her from making the mistake of wearing the gown again. "Don't let me near all these [fire emoji] dresses," Lara Trump warned Ivanka in response to an Instagram video of the heiress modeling the dated dress.

Coco Chanel famously said, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off." Well, Lara Trump took that advice, flipped it, and reversed it when she met up with one of the entertainers on the lower rung of Donald Trump's list of celebrity supporters.

By the time Donald began trying to expand his voter base by recruiting rappers to the MAGA cause in 2024, Forgiato Blow had already been recording Trump-themed hip-hop songs for years. In 2020, he released the track "All Eyez on Maga," which was followed by "Trump's Nephew" and "Let's Go Brandon" in 2022. The artistic efforts of the white rapper, who calls himself the "Mayor of MAGAville," were rewarded with a photo op with Lara in October 2024. However, it seems she had her musical eras a bit mixed up — she was dressed like a Pink Lady from the 1978 movie musical "Grease," which is set in the '50s, long before hip-hop was a thing. In addition to a pink "Women for Trump" jacket, her outfit included black leggings and a matching T-shirt. Her top evidently wasn't tight enough for her liking, as she had knotted it in the front.

During her meeting with Blow, the rapper placed a thick gold chain around Lara's neck. Dangling from it was a medallion designed to look like Donald wearing a MAGA hat. Lara was absolutely delighted to have the mini-bust of her father-in-law gazing from her bust. On Instagram, she praised Blow's accessory, writing, "This is what a fun campaign looks like."

Before she headed out to the Admirals Cove Street Fair with Donald Trump Jr., perhaps Kimberly Guilfoyle misheard him when he told her where they were going. She was dressed like she was ready to attend a carnival-themed party at a nightclub, not a carnival with funnel cakes, games of chance, thrilling rides, and a carousel, which Guilfoyle definitely was not getting on in her Balmain minidress.

Guilfoyle ensured she stood out from the crowd in the sexy striped number, which featured multicolored glittering fabric, long sleeves, and a turtleneck. Her footwear choice was also all wrong for the occasion: a pair of highly impractical Louboutins with sky-high platform heels definitely not designed for strolling around on the uneven pavement of a street carnival. When she shared photos of her look on Instagram, she promoted the Trump brand by noting that her blinged-out clutch — which resembled a cheap carnival prize — could be purchased at the Trump Store.

Guilfoyle's garb gaffe was made even more glaring when she posed with Donald Trump Jr. Her longtime partner had chosen a casual outfit that was more appropriate for their outing, although his long-sleeved, pale teal polo looked like it had seen better days; the bottom hem was uneven, making it appear as though it had been stretched out. The cut of his dad jeans also didn't work with his gray sneakers, as the legs were bunched up around the tongues of his shoes. But as sloppy as his outfit was, by the end of the night, Guilfoyle had to be secretly wishing that she could swap clothing and shoes with her boo.