White House releases new official Trump portrait as viewers point out major 'photoshop fail'

The White House has revealed President Donald Trump' s new official presidential portrait, and many speculate that it has been heavily photoshopped compared to the photo it is based on.

The new portrait has a stark black background and a stern-looking Trump , who is featured from the neck up. The portrait replaces the one then-President-Elect Trump released just days before the inauguration.

The portrait bears a striking resemblance to Trump's mugshot, taken at the Fulton County Jail during his bid for reelection after being charged with a racketeering conspiracy to overturn the state's election results. Several of those charges would eventually be dropped, and the case stalled after Trump won the 2024 election.

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The White House released the official version of the portrait in a video clip posted to X on Monday. It shows Trump looking straight ahead, squinting, wearing a light blue suit, and sporting an American flag pin.

The presidential portrait will now hang in government buildings around the country, as is customary for the current president in office.

Many photography experts immediately pointed out the extreme photoshopping done to the picture, including changes that could obscure loose skin below the president's chin.

However, the new portrait does show bags under Trump's eyes, which are somehow absent in the Trump portrait from January, which features much brighter lighting.

Previous portraits of Trump have caused controversy and even caused the president to lash out about how some have portrayed his likeness.

A painting of Trump that hung with other presidential portraits at the Colorado state Capitol was taken down in March after Trump claimed that he was "purposefully distorted," according to the letter obtained by The Associated Press.

House Democrats said in a statement that the oil painting would be taken down at the request of Republican leaders in the Legislature. Colorado Republicans raised more than $10,000 through a GoFundMe account to commission the oil painting, which was unveiled in 2019.

Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, said that he requested for Trump's portrait to be taken down and replaced by one "that depicts his contemporary likeness."

"If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that's up to them," the Democrats said.

The portrait was installed alongside other paintings of U.S. presidents. Before the installation, a prankster placed a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin near the spot intended for Trump.

Initially, people objected to artist Sarah Boardman's depiction of Trump as "non-confrontational" and "thoughtful" in the portrait, according to an interview with Colorado Times Recorder from the time.

Trump said of the issue he would prefer no picture at all over the one that hangs in the Colorado Capitol. The Republican lauded a nearby portrait of former President Barack Obama – also by Boardman – saying "he looks wonderful."