US proposes changes to rules on showers to keep Trump’s hair looking ‘perfect’

Since 1992, US showerheads have been restricted to producing 2.5 gallons (9.5l) of water per minute

The US government has proposed changes that would allow more water to flow through showerheads, after president Donald Trump said his hair needs to be “perfect”.

Since 1992, showerheads in the US have been restricted to producing a maximum of 2.5 gallons (9.5l) of water per minute, but the Trump administration proposed changes on Wednesday that would allow fixtures to include multiple nozzles each producing the same amount, according to Reuters.

The Department of Energy has proposed allowing 2.5 gallons to flow through each nozzle on a shower instead of the whole fixture, following complaints from Mr Trump earlier in the year that US showers do not produce enough water for his hair.

Speaking at the White House in July, president Trump said: “So showerheads – you take a shower, the water doesn’t come out. You want to wash your hands, the water doesn’t come out. So what do you do?

“You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer? Because my hair – I don’t know about you, but it has to be perfect. Perfect.”

After the Trump administration announced its plans, Andrew deLaski, the executive director of the energy conservation group Appliance Standards Awareness Project, described the proposal as “silly”.

He told the Associated Press that under the new plans “you could have 10 (45l), 15 (68l) gallons per minute powering out of the showerhead, literally probably washing you out of the bathroom.”

He added: “The country faces serious problems. We’ve got a pandemic, serious long-term drought throughout much of the West. We’ve got global climate change. Showerheads aren’t one of our problems.”

Mr deLaski said that water pressure and showerheads can be adjusted to individual needs and claimed that under the current rules, US residents save $500 (£382) per year.

He added: “If the president needs help finding a good shower, we can point him to some great consumer websites that help you identify a good showerhead that provides a dense soak and a good shower.”

However, Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes told Sky News that the proposals would be “allowing Americans —not Washington bureaucrats — to choose what kind of showerheads they have in their homes.”

The White House has been investigating rules around water pressure since 2019, and in December last year, Mr Trump said that environmental regulators were looking at ways to revise rules around toilets, sinks and faucets, that are in place to help conserve water and fuel in US homes.

Speaking during a meeting with business leaders at the White House, the president claimed without citing evidence that “people are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once.”

Reuters reported that the proposal will face court battles if the Trump administration goes ahead with it.