The official White House Christmas portrait is out — and it’s a formal affair.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are both wearing black and standing before Christmas trees, decor and lights at the White House. The first couple are holding hands and looking serious, with the president not cracking a smile.
“Merry Christmas from President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump,” the White House posted.
The first couple is spending the holidays at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. — after hosting a marathon of 29 Christmas parties for guests on the main floor of the White House.
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Melania Trump, a former fashion model, took the lead in the annual decorations, with a “Home Is Where the Heart Is” theme — featuring 120 pounds of gingerbread constructions.
The executive mansion’s many Christmas trees were draped with classic white lights, ribbons and simple round ornaments of red, white and blue.
Decorations also featured ornamental butterflies in recognition of the first lady’s push for a federal overhaul to support foster children as they transition to adulthood.
It’s unclear why the Trumps chose not to smile in the Christmas photo — with speculation lighting up social media, with supporters embracing their look of determination and critics viewing it as inappropriately dour.
The president is well-known for considering the message sent my his expression, including the baleful gaze of his 2023 mugshot, which he put on a wall just outside the Oval Office, and his defiant fist-pump with bloodied face following last year’s assassination attempt, an image of which adorns the wall in the White House’s main foyer.
Trump proclaimed in a year-end address last week that America is “respected again” globally and ascending from economic turmoil, which has dragged his approval ratings.
“Our country is back, stronger than ever before,” he declared.
