Trump Transition Team Bulletin Vance/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockOfficial photos of US President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were released before their inauguration on Monday.
Both Trump and Vance are photographed in blue suits, white shirts with blue collars and ties, while Trump wears a small American flag pin on his lapel.
Trump's expression contrasts with Vance's, with the president-elect's head tilted slightly downward, one eyebrow raised, and his lips pressed together.
Vance smiles at the camera, arms crossed, in a more relaxed position.
Trump Transition Team Bulletin Vance/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockThe new photo of Trump has drawn comparisons to the photo he took in 2023, which was taken in the Fulton County Jail after he was accused of trying to overturn his loss in the 2020 election to Joe Biden in the state of Georgia, a charge that Trump denied.
Trump has used the now-famous photo to raise funds for his campaign.
The transition between Trump and Vance said in a press release that the photos are “going strong.”
Fulton County Sheriff's OfficeThe photo Trump chose this time is noticeably different from the photo he used in 2017, when he first became president.
While wearing a similar outfit, he grinned at the camera in the previous photo.
“Trump may be adopting a defiant image, turning a moment of legal distress into a symbol of resilience and strength,” Quardicus Driskel, a political science professor at George Washington University, told the BBC.
“The stark contrast to his previous, more traditional image could also signal a shift in his public persona, emphasizing a tougher, more combative stance as he prepares to take office for a second time.”
Library of CongressThe photos were released by Trump's transition team just days before Trump and Vance's inauguration on January 20.
Official photos of Trump and his former Vice President Mike Pence were not published until nine months after they were sworn in.
