When you become the first lady of the United States, there are many eyes that are going to be upon you. That is especially true when you are Melania Trump, as it seems her husband, the president, gets a lot of attention.
One of the things that the First Lady does is to pose for an official portrait that will be kept for many years to come. Melania is known as being an elegant woman with an eye for detail and her portraits are more than just pictures, they are often a piece of art.
In addition, when these portraits come out, people often begin to debate and discuss what she is wearing and how she looks. Often, she is criticized for it, but there are times when she may take things in a different direction.
The White House recently released a photo of the First Lady that showed her strengths and style, although people are still questioning some of the details. It is a black and white portrait taken on January 21, 2025, by photographer Régine Mahaux.
The Yellow Oval Room of the White House is the First Lady’s office and that is where the picture was taken. The photographer said: “I was really honoured to be chosen to shoot this official portrait for the second time.
“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.”
The first lady seems to be taking a power pose, with her hands on the table firmly and leaning slightly forward. In the background, you see the Washington Monument that will dominate the skyline.
When many people saw this photo of Melania Trump, they couldn’t help but draw a comparison to her 2017 portrait. Back then, she received some negative feedback after prominently displaying her 25-carat diamond ring that was given to her by Donald Trump.
Wearing the diamond and showing it off of the picture caused many people to say she was ‘tone deaf’ or insensitive to the feelings of others.
In the more recent picture, which was taken the day after Donald Trump was sworn in to office she is dressed in a dark suit with a crisp white shirt. Her nails are perfectly manicured and she has a slight smile on her face.
There were many people who praised her for how she looked but others had questions about the difference between the 2017 portrait and the one from 2025.
They also had questions about her body language, saying that it was neutral. In fact a body language expert, Inbaal Honigman said about her: “She sits still in her model pose, her facial expression neutral, not drawing any attention to herself, letting all attention be on her husband.”
