Trump Has a New Presidential Portrait

The White House unveiled a new portrait of President Donald Trump this week. The official portrait depicts the President in a blue suit with a red tie set against a very dark background.

The portrait replaces the one released ahead of Trump’s inauguration earlier this year. The picture released this week features a more subdued lighting style and slightly softer expression. Whereas the original presidential portrait appeared to be lit from below, drawing comparisons to a mugshot, the new portrait adopts a much more traditional portrait style. Both portraits were captured by government photographer Daniel Torok.

“The first portrait done in January was done with something called up lighting — which is lighting from below — which isn’t found in the natural world often,” Jeff Whetstone, director of the visual arts program at Princeton University, told NPR.

Whetstone describes the new portrait as more natural “but still dramatic,” likening it to the aesthetic of Yousuf Karsh’s famous 1941 portrait of U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This iconic portrait was stolen from an Ottawa, Canada hotel in 2022 and was recovered in Italy last year. The culprit was sentenced to two years in prison last week.

Much like Churchill in 1941, Trump has elected not to smile in any of his official presidential portraits. However, the newest one ditches one notable tradition by omitting the American flag in the background. Instead, the President has an American flag pin on his lapel. As NPR notes, every other presidential portrait since the 1970s has featured the American flag in the background, including Trump in 2017 and earlier this year.

A White Official says the first portrait released in January was always meant to be a short-term placeholder.

“The old one was always meant to serve as a placeholder. The President is the most well-known person on the planet and this new portrait taken during his second term reflects the optimism and resolve of America, especially after a disastrous four years of the Biden administration,” an official said.

Image credits: White House / Daniel Torok