Dressing as Trump this Halloween not so funny, costume shops say

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Dressing up as Donald Trump for Halloween used to be funny, say Canadian companies that rent or sell costumes, but they say no one will find the joke funny in 2025.

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“It’s certainly been a long time since I’ve met anyone dressing up as Trump,” says Christy Greenwood, owner of the Garage Theater in Edmonton.

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“And I think a lot of it has to do with the rhetoric of the 51st state.”

Back in October 2016, when Trump was still the Republican nominee, running for president against Democrat Hillary Clinton, Greenwood says many people were looking for Trump's blond wigs. Her store has even figured out what makeup to use to replicate Trump's unusual orange skin tone—she says the color is called August and is a standard color used by clowns.

But the suit's popularity began to decline the following year, after Trump won the election in November 2016 and was sworn in the following January. Edmonton Oilers Star Connor McDavid came under fire for a photo of him wearing a blonde Trump wig, blue suit and red tie to a Halloween party that year. Sargent comments on social media soon followed.

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McDavid responded to reporters' questions about this: “It's a Halloween costume, that's all.”

Sentiment in Canada toward the U.S. president continued to deteriorate during Trump's second term, especially after he began proposing Canada to become a state, even through economic coercion.

In Hamilton, where Trump administration tariffs have crippled the city's steel industry, demand for the suit has dropped significantly.

Catriona Cameron, assistant manager of Theatrix, a costume rental business in Hamilton, says requests for Trump wigs were once common. But she says not a single person has asked for it this year.

At the same time, according to Cameron, there is an increase in the number of clients wanting to work as fitters.

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“If we had an astronaut (suit) with an American flag on it, they asked to take it down,” Cameron said, noting that one person who rented a jumpsuit from the Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun” wanted to replace the stars and stripes patch with a maple leaf.

“I think we’ve seen enough of him already.”

Suit shoppers at the Theater Garage in Edmonton said Friday they have no plans to dress like Trump.

“It's played out a bit now,” said Niamh Dower, who said she wasn't initially a fan of political suits. “I think we've seen enough of him already.”

Stephanie Labute said Trump is “kind of a joke to most of us in Canada right now,” which makes him funny, so she understands why someone might want to go as him. She even agreed to try on a Trump wig in the store and tried her best to imitate his hand gestures.

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“I don't see anything wrong with it. I know if Trump saw it 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 touchy subject.

“I probably wouldn't do it, but you know what? He's orange, the hair is bad, the suit is easy to make,” Sims said.

Greenwood says it's not just Trump: demand for all US celebrity costumes has dropped this year. Dressing as members of the classic rock band Kiss has always been a popular choice, but not in 2025. The same goes for Katy Perry, although she is now romantically linked to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Greenwood's store even sells a special Perry wig, but she didn't dress up a single customer as the pop singer this Halloween.

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According to Greenwood, there is all sorts of crap if someone wants to act as Captain Canada, a beaver costume, and red capes for those who want “The Handmaid's Tale” as a theme, but such costumes are rented out for protests, not Halloween.

“People make classics. They make clowns and vampires and things like that,” Greenwood says.

“I think this Halloween is a break from all the rhetoric and stuff.”

She says customers this year are also asking where her products, such as cosmetics, are made.

“Canadians are really trying their best to support Canadian industry as much as possible.”

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