Halligan attributes her ascent to the White House not to her legal career but to her background in pageantry and high school athletics. “Sports and pageants taught me confidence, discipline, and how to handle pressure — on the court, on the field, on the stage, in the courtroom and now in the White House,” she explained in an interview with The Washington Post.

While Halligan’s lack of experience has raised eyebrows, her resemblance to President Trump extends beyond their political alignment and shared desire to confront figures like Comey and James. Both have an affinity for dramatic makeup, with Halligan’s choices often drawing parallels to Trump’s own bronzer mishaps.

Before her nomination as U.S. Attorney, Halligan served as one of Trump’s personal attorneys, frequently appearing in court. Her courtroom appearances often drew attention, not solely for her legal work but also for her bold makeup choices. In September 2022, she was spotted at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse with a heavily bronzed look reminiscent of a mud wrestling event, rather than a serious legal proceeding involving the review of classified documents from the Mar-a-Lago raid.

Long before Lindsey Halligan was tapped as the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, she was just one of many of Donald Trump’s personal attorneys. Suffice it to say, she spent a lot of time in court. Unfortunately, however, she didn’t always look court-ready. In September 2022, she arrived at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse along with the rest of Trump’s legal team, sporting a face full of bronzer so dark it looked like she was gearing up for a mud wrestling tournament — not a preliminary meeting with a judge tasked to review the nearly 11,000 classified documents that were seized during the August 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid. 

In March 2025, Lindsey Halligan had the honor of standing in the Oval Office and presenting President Donald Trump with not one, but two proclamations in need of his famous John Hancock. Unfortunately, most couldn’t focus on the proclamations, as they were too busy gawking at Halligan’s Oompa Loompa-esque makeup. Sadly, it was giving the same energy that Trump did back in May 2025 when he forgot to blend his “Cheetos” bronzer. 

Lindsey Halligan made quite the splash when she showed up at day 15 of the 2025 US Open Tennis Championships. Unfortunately for Halligan, her signature perma-tan face proved lethal in juxtaposition to the stark, all-white outfits both she and her seatmate, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, were sporting. “Lindsey Halligan is telling Karoline Leavitt: ‘Let’s contour those chipmunk cheeks,’” playwright Paul Rudnick joked on X about Halligan’s affinity for a bronzing brush and a highlighter product. Surprisingly, at that moment, even Leavitt’s cakey bronzer was no match for Halligan’s ruddy face.