Jan 16, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Trump team brags new presidential portraits "go hard"

Avery Lotz

This image is a side-by-side of President-elect Trump's and Vice President-elect JD Vance's official portraits. — President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance pose in their official portraits. Photo: Daniel Torok/courtesy of the Trump-Vance transition team

President-elect Trump sported a familiar stone-faced stare in his official portrait revealed just days before he makes his White House return.

The intrigue: The nontraditional portrait is starkly different from his first term pose, where he grins under even lighting. Instead, with the up-shot glow, a raised eyebrow and a tight-lipped mouth, it's reminiscent of another photo: his historic mug shot.

Driving the news: The Trump-Vance transition team, in a release sharing their official portraits, said the photos "go hard."

Vance's photo more closely resembles the official portraits of past, with a smile and crossed arms.
Daniel Torok, the president-elect's chief photographer, first revealed the photos in a social media post Wednesday.

Catch up quick: Trump made history in August 2023 when he became the first U.S. president to have their mug shot taken.

The now-famous photo of Inmate No. P01135809 was snapped during a 20-minute booking at the Fulton County Jail after Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged in an alleged scheme to undermine the results of the 2020 election.

Zoom out: The iconic mug shot became sparked a fundraising bonanza, appearing on beer can coolers, t-shirts, mugs and more.

It was embraced by the MAGA movement, becoming the physical manifestation of their characterization of Trump as a victim of politically motivated prosecution.

Go deeper: How Trump's monetizing his mug shot

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Trump team brags new presidential portraits "go hard"

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