Tweet Facebook Mail With her eyes fixed straight ahead, first lady Melania Trump leans forward onto an impossibly reflective surface — is it a desk, a mirror, a cool surface of water? — as her perfectly manicured fingertips hold her balance. It's the kind of power stance you'd expect from a particularly confident contestant on The Apprentice. Instead, it's the 47th official first lady portrait.
Released by the White House this week the picture — captured by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux — has already sparked discussions online. It is first lady Trump's second official portrait, and the contrast between the two images is significant. In 2017, the furore around Trump's first lady photo largely centred on her decision to wear Dolce & Gabbana — a sartorial choice that shocked fashion-watchers across the US as a missed opportunity to showcase American-made.
READ MORE: Trump, tariffs and taxes: Should Australia be on its guard? Now, Trump is defiantly dressed in yet another single-breasted tuxedo jacket from the Italian brand. But this time, there's other artistic choices to unpack. Eight years ago, we were introduced to Trump in vivid technicolour: her bronzed complexion and piercing blue eyes perfectly framed inside her caramel balayage.
Today, viewers are presented with Trump in a stern grayscale. Where there was once a wistful Mona Lisa-style facial expression — lips parted enough to suggest a smile or a grimace, depending on perspective — now there is .
