Trump lifts showerhead pressure limits: ‘to take care of my beautiful hair’

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Thursday. Reuters-Yonhap

U.S. President Donald Trump has eliminated water pressure limits on household showerheads, declaring the move necessary for both personal grooming and consumer freedom.

According to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday (local time), Trump signed an executive order titled “Make America’s Showers Great Again,” effectively scrapping restrictions introduced under previous administrations.

“In my case, I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair,” Trump said during a signing ceremony at the White House. "We're going to open it up so that people can live." The order also removes water pressure limits on kitchen sinks and dishwashers.

In 2013, the Obama administration introduced regulations capping household water flow at 2.5 gallons (approximately 9.5 liters) per minute to conserve water. Trump partially rolled back the rule at the end of his first term in 2020, but the Biden administration later reinstated it.

The Trump administration criticized such regulations as government overreach that infringes on consumer choice. In an official statement, the White House said it aimed to “end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure,” adding that “overregulation chokes the American economy, entrenches bureaucrats, and stifles personal freedom.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.