OP-ED: Trump’s Portrait Reveals the Shape of His Administration
- monetguilbeau
- Feb 21
- 3 min read
2017 Presidential Portrait 2025 Presidential Portrait
Donald Trump’s 2025 presidential portrait isn’t a headshot — it’s a confrontation. Gone are the days when presidential portraits sought to evoke warmth, familiarity, or statesmanship. With its tight crop, harsh under-lighting, and steely gaze, the portrait feels like an aggressive invitation to his reign. A comparison with past portraits and their artistic techniques suggests that Trump’s presidential portrait has been crafted around themes of fear and dominance.
The White House Historical Association notes that presidential portraits offer, “historical clues through a variety of symbols, props, or backgrounds,” and “reveal small details about that president and the legacy they left behind.” For previous presidents, personal flair was key. Gerald R. Ford, sat cross-legged in a pinstripe suit with a pipe, exuded approachability. George H. W. Bush, resolutely holding a sheet of paper with a globe behind him, projected worldliness and authority. Barack Obama, dressed in grey, stood casually with his hands in his pant pockets, suggesting ease. Even Trump’s first portrait showcased him flashing a wide smile against a blurred interior and an American flag. His second, by contrast, is an extreme close-up, his face dominating the center of the image, unapologetically commanding every ounce of space and attention possible. It’s a stark contrast, one that mirrors his evolving political posture.
In Trump’s 2017 presidential portrait, he stood shadowless and straightforward - a presidential fresh slate. The even, commercial-grade lighting gave him a warm, yet polished glow. His bright smile and crinkled eyes almost invited a laugh. These visual traits serve as an appeal for acceptance, crucial for a president who lost the popular vote. But by 2025, every trace of warmth had vanished. His new portrait is shadowy and extreme, the low-light slashing deep contrasts into his face, with his toothy smile replaced by pursed lips, a lifted brow, and a scrutinizing gaze. If his first portrait begged to be liked, this one dares you to flinch.
While the American flag on his lapel nearly escapes his 2025 portrait, Trump’s sunset complexion is overtaken by harsh under-lighting, a deliberate choice that significantly alters the psychological effect of the portrait. The manipulation of light has long been a powerful tool in art. Since the 15th century, chiaroscuro — a “strong contrast between light and shadow in a work of art.” — has been used to create depth and drama, as seen in Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint John the Baptist and Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. While many early presidential portraits, such as those of John Adams and James Madison, employed this technique, no president has ever been lit from below - until now. That is because low light, paired with high contrast, are visual elements that, “portend fear, horror, or anxiety,” visual tactics proven to be a “permanent success” within the history of cinema, namely the horror genre. Research in nonverbal communication suggests that “even in politics, interpersonal appraisals are guided in important ways by visceral responses to proximate nonverbal cues.” Trump’s choice to be lit from below, combined with his already intense expression, is meant to provoke a sense of intimidation in the viewer. It’s also worth noting that this portrait closely resembles his 2023 mugshot. In essence, the portrait positions him as a villain: someone to be feared.
Trump made history by being the first president to use a photograph as his presidential portrait in 2017. Every president, from Washington to Obama, is depicted by oil on canvas, with the occasional oil on panel (Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon) or oil on fiberboard (James A. Garfield).
The only president to totally defer from this artistic norm was James Buchanan, the 15th president, whose 1851 portrait was painted with watercolor on ivory. Like Trump, Buchanan was quick to shift the entire medium of his portrait, and much like Buchanan, Trump’s legacy is one of deepening national fractures. Historians widely consider Buchanan “one of the worst presidents in United States history” for failing to prevent the nation’s descent into Civil War. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the two presidents who found the time to break artistic tradition have left such memorable legacies.
Ultimately, Trump’s presidential portrait is a master class in visual messaging. Every detail from the harsh low-lighting, to the tight framing, is a deliberate choice designed to reinforce an aura of control and dominance. By shattering tradition at every chance, he signals that his legacy will be defined by division, power, and an unyielding refusal to compromise. This portrait doesn’t simply capture a president, it depicts a man determined to shape history on his own terms, for better or worse.
2017 Presidential Portrait Photo Source:
2025 Presidential Portrait Photo Source:
Comentarios