Canadian businesses that offer costume rentals or sales report that dressing as Donald Trump was once a humorous choice for Halloween, but in 2025, the joke is largely falling flat.
“I certainly haven’t seen anyone dress up as Trump in quite some time,” stated Christy Greenwood, the owner of Theatre Garage in Edmonton.
“I believe much of it is connected to the rhetoric surrounding the 51st state.”
In October 2016, when Trump was still the Republican nominee facing Democrat Hillary Clinton, Greenwood remembers a high demand for blond Trump wigs. Her store even discovered the right makeup to mimic Trump’s distinctive orange complexion — she noted that the hue is called auguste, commonly used by clowns.
However, interest in the costume began to wane the following year after Trump won the November 2016 election and took office in January. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid faced backlash for wearing a Trump-style wig, blue suit, and red tie to a Halloween party that year, prompting snarky comments across social media.
In response to media inquiries, McDavid remarked, “It’s just a Halloween costume, that’s all it was.”
In Canada, sentiments toward the U.S. president have continued to deteriorate during Trump’s second term, especially after he suggested that Canada should become a state, even using economic pressure.
In Hamilton, where the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have negatively impacted the city’s renowned steel sector, interest in the costume has drastically decreased.
Catriona Cameron, assistant manager at Theatrix, a costume rental shop in Hamilton, noted that requests for Trump wigs used to be frequent, but this year, not a single person has inquired about them.
A costume rental shop owner styles a wig to resemble Trump’s hair in Pfaffstaetten, Austria, in February 2017. (Ronald Zak/The Associated Press)
Cameron also mentioned an increase in customers wanting to dress as Mounties.
“When we had an astronaut costume with an American flag, they requested to have it removed,” Cameron recalled, sharing an example of a customer who rented a jumpsuit from the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun but wanted the American flag patch swapped for a Maple Leaf.
On a recent visit to Theatre Garage in Edmonton, customers expressed they had no intention of dressing up as Trump this year.
A person tries on a Trump-style wig at a costume shop in Edmonton on Friday. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press)
Niamh Dower remarked, “It feels a bit overdone right now,” adding that she generally isn’t a fan of political costumes. “I believe we’ve had enough of him already.”
Stephanie Labute commented that Trump is “sort of a joke at this point for many of us in Canada,” making it humorous, and she understood why someone would want to dress as him. She even tried on a Trump wig in the store, mimicking his hand gestures.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. If Trump saw that, he’d likely believe people are mocking him, but he always thinks that, so it’s just par for the course,” she stated.
A worker airbrushes a mask featuring Trump at a costume manufacturing facility in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in October 2015. (Tony Rivera/The Associated Press)
Dan Sims, however, expressed that it’s a somewhat sensitive issue.
“It’s probably not something I would choose to do, but you know, he’s orange, has bad hair — it’s an easy costume to pull off,” Sims noted.
Greenwood highlighted that the decline in interest isn’t limited to Trump; overall demand for U.S. celebrity costumes has dropped this year. Traditionally popular costumes like members of the classic rock band Kiss are not in demand for 2025, nor is Katy Perry, despite her romantic ties to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
A wig, tie and shirt are left on the grass after a Trump look-alike contest in Brevard, N.C., on June 21. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
Greenwood’s shop even provides a specific wig for Perry, but she hasn’t outfitted a single customer as the pop star this Halloween.
There are also costumes such as Captain Canada, beaver outfits, and red capes for those wanting to embody characters from The Handmaid’s Tale, Greenwood mentioned, but these have largely been rented for protests rather than for Halloween festivities.
“People are leaning towards classic choices. They’re opting for clowns, vampires, that sort of thing,” stated Greenwood.
“I think this Halloween is a break from all the rhetoric and chaos,” Greenwood added.
She also mentioned that customers are increasingly inquiring about the origins of her products, including makeup.
“Canadians are genuinely making an effort to support local industries as much as they can.”
