Melania Trump’s Official Portrait Photographer Says Her Shot Captures First Lady’s “Kindness”

Newly reinstated first lady Melania Trump is back in the White House, and if her latest official portrait, released Monday afternoon by the White House, is anything to go by, this time, she means business.

In the black and white image from Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, who also took Melania’s portrait the first time around, the former model wears a tuxedo and cummerbund with a crisp white shirt, all designed by Dolce & Gabbana, inside the White House’s Yellow Oval Room in its residential wing. The Washington Monument is visible through the window over Melania’s right shoulder. She stands front-facing with hips canted and fingers tented on the tabletop in front of her, looking into the camera’s lens.

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After the photo was released, Mahaux, who first photographed Melania and Donald Trump on assignment for Getty Images in 2008 and many times since then, told Vanity Fair that her goal when capturing Melania is to “always do something that really reflects her.” “I feel that her kindness and involvement and her engagement are reflected in this picture,” Mahaux explained.

The Yellow Oval is a sunny room with several south-facing windows, but Mahaux said that backlighting was not a problem as the scene was captured on a “not sunny day” (the White House’s official release said it was taken on January 21, the day after the presidential inauguration). “It was gray, and Melania looks good in gray, and everything looks good in gray,” Mahaux said. “The picture didn’t need to be retouched because we wanted to keep the authenticity.”

Mahaux posted a black-and-white shot of Melania signing her eponymous memoir to her Instagram page in November 2024, featuring Mrs. Trump wearing an ensemble similar to the one in her portrait, seated behind a highly reflective table. Mahaux, who also photographed the inauguration, told VF that she did not recall when or how, specifically, Melania asked her to do the honor of taking the official portrait. “She’s a very secret woman, and I like that,” she said. “She’s not gonna send me an email and ask [me to take her portrait]. It was just on the way, and then we decided to do it. I don’t recall a special date when we talked about it.”

Mahaux also captured Melania’s first official White House portrait, back in 2017, and the differences between the two are striking. Though the first lady wears a dark Dolce & Gabbana suit in that photo as well, her first portrait was more traditional: The photograph was shot in color, in front of an iconic decorative window at the White House, the same location that Nancy Reagan chose for her official headshot. In the 2017 picture, Melania’s arms are crossed, her sizable diamond ring is on display, and her facial expression is more open. The colors are warm and the focus softer.

Pete Souza, who served as White House photographer for both of President Barack Obama’s terms, as well as Ronald Reagan, described the Yellow Oval as a formal room within the residence, often used by first ladies to greet and socialize with visiting dignitaries and their families. Speaking to Vanity Fair, he noted that the photo was well-lit, and agreed that it was a break from the traditional look of the portraits.

“I’m surprised it’s in black and white,” he said. “It seems like it’s an unusual choice in this day and age, we live in a color world. That’s the thing that struck me the most.”

He also noted that the Yellow Oval Room is “not commonly seen. You don’t see it on the White House tour, and it’s not something that the public would ever have access to.”