RNC ramps up spending on hair and makeup: campaign finance records

The Republican National Committee has revealed its ramped-up spending on hair and makeup for media appearances, according to a new report from NOTUS, amid the GOP's image-obsessed shift under Donald Trump.

Citing federal campaign finance records, NOTUS reported on Wednesday that the RNC had paid a pair of makeup artists $59,000 for "media preparation" work between April and November of last year. The majority of that expenditure went to one makeup professional with close connections to the Trump administration and right-wing media.

"The majority of that amount, $53,850, went to Brittany Goetz, a professional hair and makeup artist, who began contracting with the RNC during the summer," NOTUS reported. "Goetz’s website, which was recently unpublished, said she has worked for Fox News. Now-unavailable social media posts show she has done work for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other GOP officials and personalities."

As the outlet noted, it is not out of the ordinary for a political organization to spend money on "cosmetic services," nor is it something the RNC in particular has never put a focus on. NOTUS cited 2023 reporting from AlterNet's Sarah K. Burris, then writing for Raw Story, which found that the RNC, under former chair Ronna McDaniel, had "spent $17,000 of committee funds at one Michigan salon, part of nearly $100,000 the committee had spent on cosmetic-related services over several years."

This "increased expenditures" in 2025 did, however, come at a time when the Republican Party has put an increasingly significant focus on image, especially among the Trump administration, where officials have become "omnipresent on TV and social networks."

This focus on presenting a well-groomed image caused several administration members to lash out when Vanity Fair published numerous untouched and potentially unflattering portraits for a profile piece. Efforts to fit Trump's vision of beauty have also led to a recent phenomenon cosmetic surgeons have dubbed "Mar-a-Lago face," in which individuals seek to get work done on their appearance in such a way that it is overtly apparent that they have gotten work done, a significant departure from past trends.

"Trump’s obsession with looks and appearances is well documented," NOTUS's report explained. "The president frequently comments on people’s looks. He has offered compliments to his staff and foreign leaders and insults — such as 'ugly' and 'piggy' last year directed at two female news reporters — and other barbs for political enemies. The president’s own ever-changing makeup is also regular fodder for news organizations and comedy shows."

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