President-elect Donald Trump's transition team unveiled the 'official presidential photo' on the 16th, four days before the inauguration of the 47th president. In the photo, Trump displays a unique expression, different from his smiling demeanor in the official photo from his first term in 2017. He is pictured tilting his head slightly and gazing upward, resembling the mugshot taken when he voluntarily appeared before prosecutors after being indicted in Georgia in August 2023, marking the first time a former U.S. president has had a mugshot taken.
According to Axios and others, the Trump transition team released official photos of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance under the title 'Official Portraits Released – And They Go Hard ????' on this day.
Both wore ties in shades of blue instead of the red often associated with the Republican Party. Trump attached an American flag badge to the left side of his suit. CNBC noted, 'Trump's photo closely resembles his expression when he was booked in Fulton County Jail after losing the 2023 Georgia election to President Joe Biden and attempting to overturn the results.'
The British daily The Guardian also commented, 'Trump is squinting one eye threateningly and wearing a solemn and defiant expression,' adding, 'This pose is strikingly similar to his 2023 mugshot.' The analysis continued, 'Trump's unconventional pose seems to present him as a 'tough guy.' During the presidential campaign, Trump marketed his mugshot as a 'symbol of resistance,' producing and selling items like T-shirts and mugs.
Vance was said to adhere to tradition. He poses with arms crossed and a smile directed at the camera, a traditional portrait pose. The Guardian commented, 'It seems he wants to convey disbelief that someone who wrote a hillbilly song has risen politically to such great heights so quickly.'