At a moment that should reek of jubilation and pomp, Donald J. Trump’s official inauguration portrait flips the script. Instead of the wide, pearly grin one might expect, Trump serves up a steely glare — an expression that lands somewhere between a Western gunslinger and a “don’t-mess-with-me” CEO.
Taken by Daniel Torok, Trump’s chief photographer, the image feels deliberately intense.
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The lighting, dramatic and almost cinematic, bathes his face in an eerie glow that’s been compared to Jill Greenberg’s provocative “End Times” series. But Trump isn’t some teary child; he’s delivering the visual equivalent of a clenched fist.
The photograph, unveiled ahead of Monday’s inauguration, is set to feature in official programs — and it’s already sparking heated debates. Supporters see it as a symbol of the “strongman” image Trump has carefully curated since his Apprentice days. Critics? Well, they’re calling it everything from “theatrical” to “ominously Churchillian.”
The Art of the Pose
Over the years, Trump has mastered the art of looking like Trump. He knows the power of a pose. According to Shealah Craighead, Trump’s former White House photographer, he’s hands-on to the point of obsession. “He’ll review shots on the spot, sometimes demanding paper prints instead of digital previews,” she said. The man is not winging it.
His mug shot from Georgia last year — a stony-faced glare that launched a thousand memes — seems to have set the template. “If Donald Trump’s Clint Eastwood squint married the mug shot, you’d get this portrait,” quipped Timothy O’Brien, one of Trump’s biographers.
“America. Is. Back.”
Asked about the portrait, Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, didn’t mince words: “America. Is. Back.” And for Trump’s base, the photo is hitting all the right notes. “Dad is home,” wrote conservative activist Charlie Kirk, clearly reveling in the swagger.
Even the choice to avoid a smile feels calculated. Pete Souza, who photographed Barack Obama, recalled how the economic climate influenced Obama’s subdued expression during his first official portrait. Trump, by contrast, seems to have rejected such subtlety.
A Glare for the Ages
This isn’t Trump’s first official portrait. During his initial presidency, he begrudgingly settled for a toothy grin in a photo that, according to Craighead, he never quite loved. “The photo you see today is probably what he wanted back then,” she said.
A smirk? Too weak. A grin? Forget it. A scowl? Now we’re talking. It’s as if Trump wants the world to know: this time, things are going to be different. And if the tone of this image is any indication, he’s not here for the pleasantries.
So, why is Donald Trump glaring in his new inaugural portrait? Because, love it or hate it, he knows exactly what he’s doing.
