Copied from "House of Cards"? The new portrait of Melania Trump sends clear signals
What role will Melania Trump play in Donald Trump's second term? Her first official portrait photo sends clear signals.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The new official portrait of Melania Trump shows the 54-year-old with a serious look in front of the window with the Washington Monument in the background in a black and white picture.
- The First Lady looks a lot cooler in the portrait than she did eight years ago.
- The portrait is strikingly reminiscent of the pose of Claire Underwood from the series "House of Cards".
The new official portrait of Melania Trump (54) has arrived. The First Lady stands in front of the window with a serious look, the Washington Monument in the background - her fingers resolutely protected on the lectern. She is wearing a simple dark suit and a white blouse.
The black and white picture was taken by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaus. It was taken in the Yellow Oval Room, one day after her husband's defense, as reported by the BBC.
But to some, the picture of Melania looks familiar: They suspect plagiarism. The portrait is reminiscent of the image of the First Lady in the Netflix series "House of Cards", in which actress Robin Wright Penn plays the strong woman at the side of series president Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, in the same pose.
The new portrait is a lot cooler than eight years ago. Back then, the First Lady was shown in color, with her mouth open and her arms crossed.
Is Melania now taking on a more active role?
And what is Melania trying to convey with this photo? "From the suit to the pose, the new portrait feels carefully staged to exude a kind of power that contrasts with the traditional role of the First Lady, which is to soften the public perception of a presidency," analyzes fashion journalist Ellie Violet Bramley in an interview with the BBC.
After Melania Trump was rather reserved during her first term in office, Bramley believes that the new photo signals that the First Lady will take on a much more active role in her second term. A first sign of this is that she accompanied her husband on his visit to the disaster area in Los Angeles.
