Melania Trump’s black and white First Lady portrait shows plans for ‘more active role in the administration’
First Lady Melania Trump appeared to channel her fashion model past in the White House’s official portrait, released just a week after her husband Donald Trump was sworn in as US president.
The statuesque 54-year-old was snapped in the Yellow Oval Room in the White House by Belgian photographer Regine Mahaux, reportedly taken a day after Mr Trump’s inauguration.
The second First Lady born outside of the US, Mrs Trump is shown in the black and white photo leaning on a desk with the Washington Monument in the background.
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She returned to the White House with her family on the first day of her husband’s second term in office.
Several news outlets have cited major differences in the sleeker new image compared to that released on April 3, 2017, in Mr Trump’s first term in the Oval Office.
That picture was in colour and taken in the White House residence, and featured Mrs Trump’s jewellery as opposed to the more austere look in her current image.
Newsweek cited an expert who explained that as a former fashion model, Mrs Trump’s understanding of branding came down to her choices in the current photo.
“Melania is of course a former fashion model,” said Dillard University professor and political analyst Robert Collins.
“So she understands branding and she understands the power of photographic images.
“The black and white choice is designed to communicate the seriousness of her position, which indicates that she might be planning on taking a more active role in the administration.
“Or at least more active than she did in the first term.”
He also referred to what he called Mrs Trump’s “power pose”
“She is in charge. She is at the top of the food chain. She’s the one giving orders,” he told the outlet.
“All of this together seems to indicate that Melania is trying to change her brand from being the ‘supportive wife’ in the background to being more of an equal partner in the administration.”
Meanwhile, the image has predictably been welcomed by pro-Trump voices in the media.
Nick Sortor, a conservative media figure proclaimed on social media that the snap showed Mrs Trump as “easily the most stunning First Lady in American history”.
