Donald Trump hosted tech giant Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, at the Oval Office on October 7, where the couple highlighted their $6.25 billion pledge to the Trump Accounts program.
While the donation could have sparked a positive conversation, given that it is expected to benefit 25 million children across the country, social media users instead fixated on the female philanthropist's appearance.
Highlights
- Susan Dell’s appearance sparked a wider debate about cosmetic procedures among the ultra-wealthy.
- Kennedy Center trustees, including Isaac Perlmutter, Steve Wynn, and their wives, were compared to ghouls, aliens, and fictional monsters.
- American diplomat Kimberly Guilfoyle also faced backlash over her appearance.
The online reaction soon took another turn when users resurfaced a collage of Kennedy Center trustees appointed by the US president earlier this year, suggesting that the ultra-wealthy have a troubling tendency to alter their faces through cosmetic procedures.
“They are my sleep paralysis demons come to life,” one person commented.
Kennedy Center trustees were compared to a range of non-human figures
A collage circulating on X with the caption “if you enjoyed the horrors of Susan Dell, may I reintroduce you to Kennedy Center board” features five individuals.
Among them are former Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac Perlmutter and his wife, Laura; Mindy Franklin Levine, the creator and director of Yankees Universe, a charity initiative that raises funds for cancer patients; and casino mogul Steve Wynn, known for his role in shaping the Las Vegas Strip, alongside his wife, Andrea.
The photographs highlighted the individuals’ seemingly taut skin and altered features, leading social media users to describe their appearances as almost inhuman.
“They are real life GHOULS,” one person said.
“Like these people are literally mutants and monsters that snuck onto this earth,” a second remarked
“Are those the people from the Capitol in Hunger Games?” a third asked.
All of them believed that a fear of aging was responsible for their unflattering transformations.
“Fire the plastic surgeon what are they doing,” one user advised the group, while another joked, “Someone needs to stop these people from being pulled, pinched and cinched.”
Kimberly Guilfoyle, an American diplomat, meanwhile, received a special mention in the discussion.
“Don’t forget the ambassador to Greece. There’s too many that look like that,” a commenter wrote.
Netizens expressed embarrassment over Guilfoyle representing the US, citing her appearance
Guilfoyle, a former attorney and television news presenter, was nominated by Donald Trump to serve as the US ambassador to Greece in 2024.
The US Senate confirmed her appointment in September 2025, formally granting her the position.
She often wears smoky eye makeup and bare lips, and social media users believe her facial features have been significantly altered.
“Please tell me that’s not a real picture,” one person commented on a photo of her standing beside Trump, while another wrote, “This picture makes me sad.”
“She closely resembles Cruella DeVille,” a third remarked, referencing the famous fictional antagonist created by British author Dodie Smith.
Another user questioned her diplomatic role, asking, “Why is this woman representing our country? There must be someone who could have stopped that from happening.”
Guilfoyle also drew attention for asking a Trump donor to pay her credit card bill
Former Kentucky congressional candidate Eric Deters was among the prominent MAGA donors in 2024 and 2025.
The Wall Street Journal recently published a conversation between him and Guilfoyle from July 2025.
In the exchange, she was recorded saying, “Honey, please, I need you to get this done for me today.”
She followed up with a praying-hands emoji and a PDF containing instructions for making a $100,000 payment to American Express.
“You could just send it here,” she told Deters. “It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express; that’s all that will show. Please.”
Deters had promised Guilfoyle up to $1 million if she helped him bring his legal and tax issues to the Trump administration. However, he refused her six-figure request.
“Your needing $100,000 urgently unfortunately is not going to work,” he reportedly replied. “I can’t do this without getting a divorce.”
Guilfoyle persisted, according to the WSJ, telling him, “I’ve been calling you for over a week straight. You could be here meeting with [then IRS Commissioner] Billy Long.”
Deters ultimately declined to send her the money, despite her promising that she would be his “Trump ride or di*, forever and ever.”
“She never came through on anything,” he told the outlet.
The newly appointed trustees were not the Kennedy Center’s only source of controversy
In late 2025, Trump dismissed the performing arts institution's previous trustees, assumed the role of board chairman, and appointed conservative allies such as Richard Grenell to key leadership positions.
The new board also voted to rename the complex the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center and physically added Trump's name to the building's exterior.
This May, US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the renaming illegal, noting that Congress had established the center explicitly as a memorial to JFK in 1964 and that only Congress had the authority to change its name.
The board complied with the ruling and removed the lettering in June. However, its members have continued to explore ways around the injunction, proposing additional tributes, including plaque inscriptions and renaming the front plaza after Trump.
Programming changes have also followed Trump's takeover, with the leadership eliminating productions it considers “woke” in favor of offerings it describes as “family friendly.”
Trump and the board announced that the facility would close for two years beginning in July 2026 for renovations. However, whistleblowers have alleged that the closure stems from the center's total financial collapse.
The facility remains in a state of uncertainty as of this writing.
"Let's face it. Plastic surgery just isn't that effective," a netizen said
