Trump’s official portrait sparks mixed reactions on social media
The official portrait of the US President-elect, Donald Trump, has been unveiled.
Daniel Torok, the president-elect’s chief photographer, shared the photo in an X post on Thursday alongside that of Vice-President-elect JD Vance.
“We are entering the GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA!” Torok captioned the starkly contrasting photos of Trump and Vance.
As Vance struck a relaxed pose, smiling for the camera, Trump opted for a stern, unyielding stare.
The brightly lit photo is also a departure from his 2017 portrait where he smiled warmly.
The president-elect’s stare closely mirrored his mugshot after leaving jail in 2023.
In the mugshot, the 78-year-old stared menacingly at the camera with furrowed brows and a clenched jaw.
He was the first US former president to have their mugshot taken.
The photograph sparked a fundraising bonanza, appearing on t-shirts and mugs. It soon became the physical characterisation of Trump as a politically motivated prosecuted victim.
Trump’s transition team said the official photographs “go hard.” The pair will be sworn in on Monday.
Social media users had mixed reactions to the presidential pose.