Donald Trump has updated his official portrait just months after taking office, in an apparent bid to appear less menacing.
The new image, as displayed on the White House’s social media channels, casts Mr Trump in a warmer light and softens his expression from his first portrait in a break from presidential tradition.
The other changes in the picture include swapping out a turquoise tie for his favoured red power tie, and changing the background – the US flag in what appears to be a state room – to black.
It is uncommon for a US president to change their portrait so soon into their term, but Mr Trump, a former reality TV star, is famously conscious of his appearance.
The White House now uses this portrait – White House
In his first portrait, published a few days before his inauguration in January, he appeared stony-faced, with his right eye narrowed and squinting, while his lips were pressed together tightly.
It drew comparisons to the mugshot released by authorities in Georgia after his arrest on racketeering charges in 2023.
The Republican is famously image-obsessed and reportedly practised how he would pose for the mugshot which was later released by Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
He subsequently claimed it was the “number-one selling mugshot” in history which “beat Elvis” and “beat Frank Sintara”, and later installed it on a wall in the Oval Office after winning the presidential election last year. He appears to have been less enamoured of his official portrait, however.
The previous official portrait (right) had been compared to Mr Trump’s mugshot (left)
It’s not the first time the president has sought to remove an unflattering portrait.
Colorado removed the portrait of Mr Trump hanging in its state capitol in March when the president complained about its appearance and called on Governor Jared Polis to “take it down”.
That painting was by Sarah Boardman, a British artist, who after being commissioned for the piece in 2018 described it as showing the president with a “serious, thoughtful, non-confontational” expression.
But Mr Trump called it “truly the worst”.
“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,” he 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.
“In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain. In fact, they are actually angry about it!”
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