President Donald Trump was spotted wearing reading glasses in his motorcade over the weekend, a rare sighting of the president who reportedly avoids using them in public.
A photographer based in Northern Virginia captured the images and shared them on X, formerly Twitter. According to the photographer, the photos show Trump departing Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, on Sunday, a day after a round of golf.
Why It Matters
Trump, 79, who was the oldest president ever elected to a second term, has long been known to be very careful and savvy with his public image.
While it isn’t uncommon for somebody his age to require glasses, there are few publicly available photos of Trump wearing glasses during his presidency. Sunday’s images appear to mark the first such instance during his second term.
What To Know
President Donald Trump was spotted wearing reading glasses on June 29, 2025, as he departed Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
President Donald Trump was spotted wearing reading glasses on June 29, 2025, as he departed Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Supplied/NorthernVirginiaPoliceCars
“President Donald J. Trump departs Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia following a round of golf with CIA Director John Radcliffe and Senators Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, and Eric Schmitt,” professional police, fire, & EMS photographer, Northern Virginia Police Cars, posted on X on Sunday.
“POTUS is seen reading the paper in the back of his newer low-profile Suburban.”
USA Today reported that Trump had played golf with the senators and Radcliffe before a Senate vote to debate the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
The images show the president wearing his reading glasses, a white shirt, and a cream-colored “Make America Great Again” cap while seated in the back of the Chevrolet Suburban presidential limousine.
While it’s unclear what he is reading from the photos, the president, according to a New York Times report in November 2019, has refrained from using reading glasses in front of others and rarely writes tweets himself in public.
Instead, then White House social media director Dan Scavino would draft and send tweets on Trump’s behalf, often enlarging printed drafts to extra-large fonts for the president to review and approve.
One single-page article reportedly expanded to six pages once the font was enlarged to suit Trump’s preferences.
Sunday’s sighting marks what appears to be the first time in years—and the first during Trump’s second term—that he has been publicly photographed wearing reading glasses.
He was also pictured in October 2017 wearing glasses while on his way back from the Trump National Golf Course. Before that, in January 2016, he wore glasses while campaigning in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as he read the lyrics to an song released by Al Wilson called “The Snake.”
What People Are Saying
The images drew attention on social media. Some reactions on X included:
“Has ANYONE seen him in glasses before?”
“One of the few times I ever saw him with glasses on in public was his first ‘The Snake’ speech in Jan. 2016. I thought they looked good on him but he probably sees them as a sign of weakness.”
“GLASSES?!? I’ve often wondered if he wore one.”
“Rare glasses Trump…Rare form.”
What Happens Next
According to Trump’s public schedule, he’s due to sign executive orders in the Oval Office Monday afternoon.
