Donald Trump's permanent tan is the result of "good genes", according to a White House official.
The US president is widely believed to top up his increasingly-orange complexion by slathering his face with bronzing lotions and spending countless hours on a sunbed.
But acording to a "senior administration official", who insisted on anonymity when speaking to the New York Times, he only ever applies a light dusting of translucent powder before TV appearances.
The suggestion that the president has "good genes" repeats claims made by Mr Trump himself over the years, including an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1988.
In 2010 he told CNN; "I was born with the drive for success because I have a certain gene.
“I'm a gene believer... Hey, when you connect two race horses, you usually end up with a fast horse."
The latest contribution to the popular debate comes after former aide Omarosa Manigault claimed in her book that the president fired a staff member for failing to set up a tanning bed at the White House properly.
Former FBI director James Comey also speculated that the "bright white half-moons" under Mr Trump's eyes came from using safety goggles.
In 2016 make-up artist Jason Kelly, who has worked with several politicians, said he was keen to help the president tone down the artificial glare.
"I know exactly what he does to himself — the tanning bed, the spray tan, he wears the goggles and you can see the hyperpigmentation around his eyes," Mr Kelly said.
Mr Trump's former boarding school classmates have also claimed that he used to "go to the beach" by screwing an ultraviolet bulb into a light socket.
