Trump swaps out official portrait
3 Min Read
US President Donald Trump updates his official portrait early in his term, opting for a softer look in contrast to his previous presidential images.
-
The new official portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance hang in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
US President Donald Trump has recently updated his official portrait, only a few months after assuming office, seemingly to present a less intimidating appearance.
The new image, which has been shared on the White House’s social media platforms, presents Trump in a more approachable manner, softening his expression compared to his initial portrait and marking a departure from traditional presidential imagery.
Other modifications in the updated portrait feature Trump replacing his turquoise tie with his signature red power tie, while the background, originally depicting the US flag in what seems to be a state room, has been altered to a solid black.
While it is unusual for a US president to update their official portrait so early in their term, Trump, a former reality TV star with a well-documented focus on his public image, has opted to make these adjustments.
The older portrait sparked comparisons to Mr. Trump's 2023 mugshot, taken after his arrest on racketeering charges in Georgia, with the Republican leader, known for his meticulous attention to public image, reportedly having rehearsed his pose beforehand, as the later-released Fulton County Sheriff’s Office photo would show.
After boasting that his mugshot had become the "number-one selling mugshot" in history, outpacing even those of Elvis and Frank Sinatra, Trump later displayed it prominently on an Oval Office wall following his presidential election victory last year, though he seems to have shown considerably less enthusiasm for his official portrait.
Not the first time Trump removes a portrait
This isn’t the first instance of the president attempting to distance himself from an unfavorable depiction, as demonstrated in March when Colorado removed Trump’s portrait from its state capitol after he publicly criticized its appearance and directly urged Governor Jared Polis to “take it down.”
The portrait in question was painted by British artist Sarah Boardman, who, after being commissioned in 2018, described her work as capturing a "serious, thoughtful, non-confrontational" expression, though Trump himself later dismissed it as "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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, expressing his disapproval.
