Just over five months after his return to the White House, President Donald Trump wanted to change his official portrait, according to insiders, to appear less threatening.
The new image, revealed on the White House’s social media channels, presents the MAGA leader in a warmer light and softens his expression compared to the first portrait, breaking with presidential tradition. It is indeed rare for a president to change his portrait a few months after taking office, but Trump, a former reality TV star, is known for always being very attentive to his image.
In the new portrait, the president is wearing a red tie, believed by many to be his favorite, rather than a turquoise one, and there is no longer any trace of the stars and stripes in the background.
In his first official photo, published a few days before his inauguration in January, he appeared with his right eye half-closed, his lips tight, and a decidedly grim and stern look. Many compared it to the historic mug shot published by Georgia authorities after his arrest for racketeering in 2023.
Trump later claimed that it was the “best-selling mug shot” in history, “beating Elvis” and “beating Frank Sinatra,” and later displayed it on a wall in the Oval Office after winning last year’s presidential election. However, it seems that he was not very enthusiastic about his official portrait.
This isn’t the first time this year that the Republican president has had something to say about his image. A few months ago, he ordered the removal of his portrait from the Colorado State Capitol, in which he appeared much heavier.
The painting was created in 2019 by Sarah Boardman, commissioned by local GOP leaders. The president later claimed that the artist had “intentionally” distorted his face.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado… was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older”.
