First Lady Melania Trump's official portrait was released earlier this week - and it's clear that the 54-year-old means business. The striking black-and-white portrait showed the former model standing behind the desk in the White House's Yellow Oval Room in its residential wing. Melania wore a Dolce and Gabbana tuxedo with a white shirt and cummerbund as she leant slightly over a highly reflective table and flashed an understated smile to the camera.

The Washington Monument was visible in the background of the snap, taken the day after the inauguration. The photo, taken by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, was taken in such perfect conditions, it reportedly didn't even need touching up. Régine also took Melania's portrait during her first term in office. 'I always do something that really reflects her,' Régine told Vanity Fair of the image, which was taken on January 21, 2025.

'I feel that her kindness and involvement and her engagement are reflected in this picture,' she explained. First Lady Melania Trump's official portrait was released earlier this week - and it's clear that the 54-year-old means business. The experienced photographer said that despite the Yellow Oval room being quite sunny, it happened to be an overcast day, making it perfectly backlit. 'It was gray, and Melania looks good in gray, and everything looks good in gray,' Régine explained.

'The picture didn't need to be retouched because we wanted to keep the authenticity,' she shared. News of the stunning snap not being edited comes after social media critics initially slammed the picture, declaring that it appeared to be heavily Photoshopped. Some thought the image looked strange, with one person saying, 'That's not an official photo. That's a heavily Photoshopped official photo.'. On X, formerly known as Twitter, some people accused her of heavy editing.

'Looks like she's made of plastic. It's so over-processed, heavy softening and blurring filtering. There's nothing warm or real about this image,' a commenter wrote disparagingly. Melania's second term portrait is a complete switch-up from her 2017 image. Melania's second term portrait is a complete switch-up from her 2017 image, which was also taken by Régine. The Yellow Oval Room on the second floor that served as the Trumps' living room.

It's the second time Melanie Trump has had her portrait taken as the First Lady of the United States. The First Lady's 2017 picture is a softer version, showing the glamor with her hair out and over her shoulders in a black blazer. In the picture - which is notably in color - she was seen crossing her arms as she gazed at the camera. Melania shared her official photo on the official FLOTUS Instagram account, which has four million followers.

Unfortunately, many of the followers were left over from when they followed Jill Biden's account and were shocked to realize they were suddenly following Melania. Body language expert Judi James says the portrait, which was unveiled Monday, depicts a powerful image of a first lady in control. 'Everything about this pose screams power and status,' she told DailyMail.com. 'She looks and poses as though she is the right woman in the right place at the right time.'.