Decoding the new official portrait of Donald Trump

seriously. Creepy. “Message Snapshot”.

These are some of the descriptions of The latest official portrait of Donald Trump, shot by his chief photographer Daniel Torok. In the photo, the newly elected president has a stern expression and raised eyebrows.

“The official portrait of the president is the most printed, most viewed image of the president ever,” former White House photographer Eric Draper told the BBC.

He worked for George W. Bush during his eight-year presidency, taking both of his official portraits.

Mr. Draper's first impression of Trump's image was that it had been “heavily manipulated” with both studio lighting and post-shoot retouching.

The photo appears to use “monstrous” lighting, he added, to dramatically illuminate the president-elect from below and make his eyes pop.

The lighting setup gives the image an “eerie” look often seen in horror films, said Eliska Sky, a portrait photographer at the London Institute of Photography. She compared Trump's portrayal to a boxer before a fight.

Lighting “suggests seriousness and intent,” according to Paul Duerinkx, senior lecturer in documentary photography at Swansea College of Art.

This image is striking, he added, because the light source in most photos comes from above, such as the sun or overhead lights, and reversing the source in this photo “tends to really have an effect on us.”

Many on social media have compared the photo to a “mug shot” of Donald Trump taken in Georgia's Fulton County Jail after he was accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss. — a charge Trump denies.

Photography YouTuber Jared Pollin said he they discussed the portrait with Mr. Torok and was told that the photo of the cup provided the inspiration.

“The mug shot was one of the most sought after images, maybe ever,” Pauline claimed, Mr Torok said. Mr Torok did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

The photo of the mug, taken in 2023, has become part of American culture, adorning everything from coffee mugs to T-shirts.

The style of Trump's new portrait is a departure from the look of his 2017 image. and that of previous presidents, including George W. Bush.

“You definitely take pictures to please the client and in this case I think that's the type of image they wanted to portray,” Mr Draper told the BBC.

He recalled sitting down with then-President Bush and first lady Laura Bush to look through a selection of photos before choosing their favorites.

“The idea was to make it look like nice, nice lighting, make it look like a professional portrait, with a nice expression, because those pictures are going to greet people when they go into their mail,” he said.

Andrew Parsons is a political photographer who has worked for four British Prime Ministers from David Cameron to Liz Truss as well as Boris Johnson for 13 years.

“It's a picture with a message, I'm giving you a message,” he said of Trump's picture. “It's not like an outright laugh, it's a stern, hard, stare straight down the barrel of the lens.”

By contrast, Mr Parsons said the 2017 iteration. is “a picture of Donald Trump's businessman.”

It's hard to overstate the importance of political images like Trump's, he said. “A photo can make or break a political campaign.”