Melania Trump surprised her Instagram followers on Monday with the release of her new official White House portrait. The black-and-white image, taken by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, shows the First Lady in a black Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit with a white shirt, photographed in the Yellow Oval Room on January 21, the day after the inauguration.
The portrait marks a departure from the colourful images traditionally chosen by former First Ladies. Some social media users praised the photo, comparing it to a Vogue cover, while others criticised it as 'heavily Photoshopped'. One commenter on X wrote: 'Looks like she's made of plastic. It's so over-processed, heavy softening and blurring filtering.'
Melania's previous official portrait, released in April 2017, was in colour. The new image was shared on the official FLOTUS Instagram account, which has four million followers. However, many followers were automatically transferred from Jill Biden's account, leading to some negative reactions. One popular comment read: 'Meta needs to cool it with the force follows.'
Supporters of Melania defended the portrait, with one MAGA supporter calling her the 'most elegant First Lady in office'. Another fan tweeted: 'Who needs a Vogue cover and Annie Leibowitz photo spread when you have this?' This comes amid ongoing snubs from Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who has not featured Melania on the magazine's cover, unlike Jill Biden, who received three covers.
