[Correspondent Diary] Trump’s Stubbornness Ends 30-Year-Old Water Conservation Regulation

"Lack of Water to Wash My Beautiful Hair" Claim
Ignoring the Water-Wasting Situation in the US

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. showerhead regulation introduced to prevent water waste is on the verge of being eliminated. All because of one person's complaint. That person is President Donald Trump.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently proposed a regulatory revision to increase water pressure from showerheads. This proposal has become controversial as it was prepared following President Trump's complaint.

Last month, during an event at the White House promoting federal government deregulation efforts, President Trump mentioned, "There isn't enough water coming out of the showerhead to wash my beautiful hair."

He said, "When you shower or wash your hands, water doesn't come out. So what do people do? They just stand longer or shower longer. I don't know about you, but my hair has to be perfect."

Earlier this month, while visiting a Whirlpool factory and giving a speech, President Trump again expressed dissatisfaction with showerheads. He said, "When you go to a new house and turn on the faucet, no water comes out. When you turn on the showerhead, you can't properly wash your beautiful hair like I did." He added, "You probably waste 20 minutes. The water just drips, right?"

U.S. media unanimously interpreted that the Department of Energy could no longer tolerate President Trump's complaints and moved to ease the regulations.

The current U.S. regulation limits showerheads to a water flow of 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) per minute. The Department of Energy's proposal is to allow each nozzle on the showerhead to emit no more than 9.5 liters per minute.

There may be criticism about regulating showerheads, but this was a decision made by Congress considering the circumstances in the U.S. Moreover, it was established during the Republican administration to which President Trump belongs, not the current opposition Democratic Party.

This regulation was introduced to reduce water waste among Americans. Americans use more water compared to other countries. As of 2008, Americans used 455 liters of water per day, 1.35 times more than Koreans.

President Trump is not only dissatisfied with showerheads. Last year, he also expressed complaints about sinks, faucets, and toilets. He said, "People are flushing the toilet 10 or 15 times."

Because the water pressure is weak due to regulations, some workarounds are used. It has been pointed out that some wealthy individuals install showerheads not subject to regulations and use water freely.

President Trump has maintained his distinctive hairstyle for decades, and it is presumed that he uses a lot of sprays and fixatives for this. Known to style his own hair, President Trump likely uses a showerhead with a strong water flow at home but may be dissatisfied at the White House where this is not possible.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.