On Wednesday, Donald Trump followed through on one of his more unusual but long-standing priorities—changing federal rules for shower heads, toilets, and sinks. Despite ongoing global trade tensions, the former president signed a new executive order aimed at rolling back water-saving regulations introduced during the Obama and Biden administrations.
The White House says this move will “end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure” and give Americans more freedom in their own bathrooms.
Trump’s Longstanding Complaint About Water Pressure
Trump has regularly voiced his frustration with low water pressure in American homes. He claims water-saving appliances like low-flow shower heads, toilets, and sinks just don’t do the job.
“In my case, I like to take a nice shower to take care of my beautiful hair,” Trump said while signing the order. “I have to stand under the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet. It comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”
The new rule changes the federal definition of “shower head”, allowing more water flow. This follows previous efforts by Trump to relax energy-efficiency rules for lightbulbs, dishwashers, and other appliances—actions he said were based on consumer choice and comfort.
What the Executive Order Covers
According to the White House, the executive order will apply to:
- Shower heads
- Toilets
- Sinks
- Other household water appliances
The goal, they say, is to “restore shower freedom” and reduce what they view as unnecessary environmental regulations. The White House added: “President Trump is following through on his commitment to dismantle unnecessary regulations and put Americans first.”
Experts Say Trump’s Concerns Are “Outdated”
Some appliance and energy experts are surprised that shower heads are being treated as a presidential priority.
“It was very striking that the White House memo included toilets and shower heads as a major issue,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. “But I think Donald Trump’s concerns are somewhat out of date, to tell you the truth.”
Trump has made similar claims over the years. Back in 2019, he stated that Americans were having to flush toilets 10 to 15 times due to poor water pressure. And in 2023, he complained again about slow-dripping water in showers in modern homes.
A Battle Over Regulations and Consumer Freedom
Trump’s new order is a return to his first-term policies, when he rolled back stricter rules for energy efficiency. For example, he loosened lightbulb rules and allowed less efficient dishwashers and showers to stay on the market.
However, many of those rollbacks were reversed by former President Joe Biden, who pushed for more environmentally friendly and energy-saving policies.
Now, with this new executive order, Trump says he is bringing back common sense—and water pressure. The White House even used the slogan: “Make America’s Showers Great Again.”