White House Unveils First Official Portrait of Melania Trump

On Monday, the White House revealed the official portrait of First Lady Melania Trump.

The black-and-white portrait, captured by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, shows Melania dressed in a suit, standing by a window with the Washington Monument visible in the background.

The official X account for the first lady shared the photograph along with a straightforward caption: “First Lady Melania Trump’s Official White House Portrait.”

Mahaux has been shooting the Trump Family since 2006. The photographer captured the official White House portrait of Melania as first lady in April 2017.

“I was really honored to be chosen to shoot this official portrait for the second time,” Mahaux tells the BBC on Monday.

“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.”

In contrast to the 2017 portrait, which was captured in color and focused on a close-up of Melania’s face, the 2025 portrait presents a half-body view of Melania standing by a desk.

Captured at the White House just a day after her husband took the oath of office, the 2025 black-and-white portrait features Melania dressed in a dark suit paired with a white blouse. She stands with her hands gently placed on a reflective table in the Yellow Oval Room.

In the background, the Washington Monument rises prominently, overlooking the capital city.

Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, the Faculty Director for the Department of History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania, says that Melania’s portrait reveals that she is extremely at ease with Mahaux. DuBois Shaw suggests that the visual parallel between her pose and the iconic Washington Monument — a symbol of the authority built to honor George Washington, the United States’ first president — is striking.

“Mrs Trump trusts Ms Mahaux to accurately communicate her message, whatever that may be,” DuBois Shaw tells the BBC.

“The message of this picture is that the First Lady has moved from the marginal space of the family quarters to the room just above the Oval Office.

“She appears ready to wield more of the power that she seemed rather reluctant to embrace in her first stay at the White House.”

Last week, the official portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance — taken by new Chief White House photographer Daniel Torok — were released. Torok’s image of the 47th president sparked plenty of discussion in the photo community.