Dressing up as Donald Trump used to be very funny for Halloween, say Canadian companies that rent or sell costumes, but they say almost no one will find the joke funny in 2025.
“It’s certainly been a long time since I’ve seen someone dressed up like Trump,” says Christy Greenwood, owner of Theater Garage in Edmonton.
“And I think a lot of that has to do with the rhetoric of the 51st state.”
In October 2016, when Trump was still the Republican candidate running against Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, Greenwood says a lot of people were looking for blonde Trump wigs. Her store even managed to figure out what makeup to use to replicate Trump’s unusual orange skin tone; He says the color is called Auguste and is a standard color used by clowns.
But the costume’s popularity showed signs of waning the following year, after Trump won the November 2016 election and took office the following January. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid received criticism for a photo of him wearing a Trumpian blonde wig, a blue suit and a red tie to a Halloween party that year. The sarcastic comments on social networks did not take long to arrive.
McDavid responded to reporters’ questions about it by saying, “It’s a Halloween costume, that’s all.”
Feelings in Canada toward the U.S. president have continued to sour during Trump’s second term, particularly after he began suggesting that Canada should become a state, including through economic coercion.
In Hamilton, where the Trump administration’s tariffs have been hurting the city’s signature steel industry, demand for the costume has fallen significantly.
Catriona Cameron, assistant manager at Theatrix, a Hamilton costume rental shop, says inquiries about Trump wigs were once common. But he says there hasn’t been a single person asking for one this year.
At the same time, Cameron says there has been an increase in the number of clients wanting to perform as Mounties.
“If we had an astronaut (costume) with an American flag on it, they asked us to take it off,” Cameron said, pointing to one person who rented a jumpsuit from the Tom Cruise movie. Top gun I wanted to replace the stars and stripes patch with a maple leaf.
Costume buyers at Edmonton’s Theater Garage said Friday they were not planning to dress like Trump.
“It’s a bit sold out at the moment,” said Niamh Dower, who said she’s not a fan of political costumes to begin with. “I think we’ve seen enough of him.”
Stephanie Labute said Trump is “kind of a joke right now for most of us in Canada,” which makes him funny, so she understands why someone might want to play him. She even agreed to try on a Trump wig in the store and did her best to imitate his hand gestures.
“I don’t see anything wrong with this. I know if Trump saw that, he would think people were making fun of him, but he always thinks people are making fun of him, so what else is new?” she said.
Dan Sims, meanwhile, said it’s a bit of a touchy subject.
“It’s probably not something I would do, but you know what? He’s orange and he has bad hair; the costume is easy to make,” Sims said.
Greenwood says it’s not just a Trump issue: Demand for all American celebrity costumes has declined this year. Dressing up as members of the classic rock band Kiss has always been a popular choice, but not in 2025. The same goes for Katy Perry, even though she’s now romantically linked to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The Greenwood store even offers a Perry-specific wig, but it hasn’t dressed any customers as a pop singer this Halloween.
There are duds if someone wants to go as Captain Canada, a beaver costume, as well as red capes for anyone who wants to. The Handmaid’s Tale as a theme, Greenwood says, but those types of costumes are rented for protests, not Halloween.
“People are doing classics. They’re doing clowns and vampires and that kind of stuff,” Greenwood says.
“I think this Halloween is a holiday from all the rhetoric and stuff.”
She says this year customers are also asking where their products, like makeup, are made.
“Canadians are really doing everything they can to support the Canadian industry as much as possible.”
