The picture is, predictably, garnering plenty of feedback online.
After days of obsessive commentary about her inauguration hat, First Lady Melania Trump has given us something new to talk about: her brand-new official portrait.
The image, released online this week by the White House, depicts Trump in a sleek tuxedo as she stands over a reflective table, the monolithic Washington Monument peeking through the window behind her.
The portrait was taken on Jan. 21, 2025 — the day after her husband’s inauguration — in the White House’s Yellow Oval Room. The artist behind it is Régine Mahaux, a Belgian photographer who’s worked with the Trump family for years and who also shot the first lady’s previous official portrait in 2017.
“I was really honored to be chosen to shoot this official portrait for the second time,” Mahaux told the BBC. “As an artist, to work with such an inspiring woman is a great privilege. She is a perfectionist and is really involved in the creative process.”
The picture is, predictably, garnering plenty of feedback online. The Guardian‘s analysis made note of what the Washington Monument’s presence could represent: “The famous obelisk is less a symbol of American democracy like the Statue of Liberty, and more a symbol of American power. Jutting up into the air of the imperial capital, it’s rigid, coolly austere and carries an air of menace. Sound familiar?”
CNN, meanwhile, drew a sharp contrast between the “vivid technicolor” of Trump’s 2017 portrait and the “stern grayscale” of this year’s new edition: “Where there was once a wistful Mona Lisa-style facial expression — lips parted enough to suggest a smile or a grimace, depending on perspective — now there is no room for interpretation. With her mouth closed, Trump is firm and resolute. This time, the tables have turned (literally). Instead, it appears that the first lady is analyzing you.”
It’s no surprise that observers are reading deeply into the photo, given that the notoriously enigmatic first lady is known for making statements through her visual presentation. For example, a book published last year revealed that the infamous “I really don’t care, do u?” jacket that Trump wore to visit detained immigrant children in 2018 was actually meant to be a message directed at the president’s daughter, Ivanka.
Vogue offered a particularly searing critique of the new portrait, declaring that its subject “looked more like she was guest starring on an episode of The Apprentice than assuming the role of first lady of the United States.” The fashion bible went on: “The choice to wear a tuxedo — as opposed to a blazer or blouse — made Trump look more like a freelance magician than a public servant.”
But The Guardian posits that Trump’s pose in the new photo — the powerful stance behind a desk — “suggests that she may well step out of the shadows this time.” And while there’s been speculation about just how present she’ll be during her husband’s second term, Trump has already made some significant steps toward being more public.
At the end of 2024, she published a memoir, Melania, which boasts a stark black-and-white cover in keeping with the aesthetics of her newest portrait. The book, which touched on everything from her surprising stance on abortion to a defense of her nude modeling, ended up topping the bestseller list (although there’s been chatter about how popular it really was).
And later this year, the First Lady will participate in a new documentary directed by Brett Ratner, which promises an “unprecedented behind-the-scenes look” at her “truly unique story.” We’re still waiting on a release date, but the film will be distributed by Amazon Prime Video, the service run by Jeff Bezos, one of the high-profile billionaires who attended the president’s inauguration this month.
