US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that eliminates water pressure restrictions on showerheads, a decision the White House says will ‘make America’s showers great again’.
Trump has complained about federal water-conservation regulations, which he attributes to poor water pressure in bathrooms nationwide. As he signed the order in the Oval Office, he said, “In my case I like to take a nice shower, to take care of my beautiful hair.”
Complaining about the sluggish flow, Trump said, “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 charges the Energy Department with undoing what Trump refers to as ‘radical green’ regulations that limited showerhead flow to 2.5 gallons per minute. The White House described the move as freeing Americans from onerous regulations that have made a simple household device into a bureaucratic nightmare. The rollback has been described as ending the ‘Obama-Biden war on showers’.
‘My Hair Has to Be Perfect’
For years, Trump has been zeroing in on federal efficiency standards for common appliances like toilets, dishwashers, and showers. As president, he often linked the standards to his own hair-grooming frustration. Quipping outside the White House in 2020, he said, “My hair, I don’t know about you, but it has to be perfect, perfect.”
During a June 2024 visit to Detroit, Trump went on, “I shower, I want this gorgeous head of hair to be just covered in lather. I use this best that you can purchase and I pour it all over. And then I turn on the water and the damn water trickles out. I can’t get the stuff out of my hair. It’s a terrible thing.”
Environmentalists have resisted the order, though. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project released a report in 2024 in which it claimed that “shower head standards save consumers money on their water and energy bills and help the environment.” The group continued, “Testing has repeatedly shown that today’s models can provide an excellent shower.”
