Trump signs order to 'make America's showers great again'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Apr 2025 09:46

Donald Trump's latest presidential priority entails lifting shower pressure restrictions in US bathrooms.

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President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One for a trip to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, for an event on tax policy, on Thursday, April 5, 2018, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. (AP)

Amid a series of pressing presidential decrees, Donald Trump's hair care routine made its way to the White House after the US president signed an executive order to lift water pressure limits on showers.

Citing the importance he gives to take care of his "beautiful hair", Trump's recent executive decision was dubbed a policy to "make America's showers great again."

Under a 1992 US law, showerheads are restricted to a maximum water flow of 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) per minute, which has been a focal complaint for the president for years, who considers the water output inadequate.

Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump rationalized his order by saying, "I like to take a nice shower, to take care of my beautiful hair... I have to stand under the shower for 15 minutes till it gets wet. It comes out drip, drip, drip. It's ridiculous."

The order instructs the Energy Department to dismantle what it calls "radical green" rules that cap showerhead water flow at 2.5 gallons per minute.

According to the White House, the move “frees Americans from excessive regulations that turned a basic household item into a bureaucratic nightmare” and marks an end to the “Obama-Biden war on showers.”

Years of struggle?

Since his first term, Trump has criticized federal water conservation and pressure regulations affecting showerheads, toilets, dishwashers, and other home appliances.

“My hair, I don't know about you, but it has to be perfect, perfect,” he said outside the White House in 2020.

During a June 2024 event in Detroit, Trump brought up the topic again, saying, “I take a shower, I want that beautiful head of hair to be just lathered. I get this best stuff you can buy and I dump it all over. And then I turn on the water and the damn water drips out. I can't get the stuff out of my hair. It's a horrible thing.”

However, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project pushed back, arguing that the regulations benefit both consumers and the planet.

“Shower head standards save consumers money on their water and energy bills and help the environment,” the group said in a 2024 report. “Testing has repeatedly shown that today’s models can provide an excellent shower.”