Photos: Presidents’ Official White House Portraits Over Past 100 Years

Photos: Presidents’ Official White House Portraits Over Past 100 Years

Updated

  • The White House released a new official portrait of President Donald Trump in June.
  • The dramatically lit photo shows Trump against a dark backdrop with a serious expression.
  • Unlike most contemporary presidential portraits, the background doesn’t include an American flag.

President Donald Trump’s official White House portrait does not feature an American flag in the background — it’s the first presidential photo in over 60 years without one.

Taken by chief White House photographer Daniel Torok, the dramatically lit photo shows Trump against a dark backdrop with a serious expression. The style hearkens back to the past presidential portrait styles of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Calvin Coolidge, who also appeared unsmiling against dark backgrounds.

And while there is no flag behind Trump in his new portrait, he is wearing an American flag pin on the lapel of his blue suit, a tradition that began with President George W. Bush’s photo.

A portrait of Trump released earlier last year, which did feature an American flag, was taken during the presidential transition period and “was always meant to serve as a placeholder,” a White House official told Business Insider.

The new photo is one of several aesthetic changes Trump has made to the White House in his second non-consecutive term. In the Entrance Hall, he moved President Barack Obama’s painted White House portrait across the hall and replaced it with a painting depicting his raised fist following an assassination attempt. He has also added numerous gilded gold furnishings to the Oval Office and paved over the lawn in the Rose Garden to create a terrace he said would be better suited for large events.

Take a look at how presidential portraits have changed through the years.

President Calvin Coolidge, 1923


President Calvin Coolidge's portrait.

A portrait of President Calvin Coolidge.

Library of Congress

President Herbert Hoover, 1929


President Herbert Hoover's official White House portrait.

A portrait of President Herbert Hoover.

Underwood & Underwood

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933


An official portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

An official portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Elias Goldensky/Library of Congress

President Harry Truman, 1945


President Harry Truman's official White House portrait.

President Harry Truman’s official White House portrait.

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

President Dwight Eisenhower, 1953


President Dwight Eisenhower's official White House portrait.

President Dwight Eisenhower’s official White House portrait.

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

President John F. Kennedy, 1961


John F. Kennedy's official White House portrait.

President John F. Kennedy’s official White House portrait.

Bachrach/Getty Images

President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963


President Lyndon B. Johnson's official White House portrait.

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo

President Richard Nixon, 1969


President Richard Nixon's official White House portrait.

President Richard Nixon’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo

President Gerald Ford, 1974


President Gerald Ford's official White House portrait.

President Gerald Ford’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo

President Jimmy Carter, 1977


President Jimmy Carter's official White House portrait.

President Jimmy Carter’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo by Karl Schumacher

President Ronald Reagan, 1981


President Ronald Reagan's official White House portrait.

President Ronald Reagan’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo

President George H.W. Bush, 1989


President George H.W. Bush's official White House portrait.

President George H.W. Bush’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo by David Valdez

President Bill Clinton, 1993


President Bill Clinton's official White House portrait.

President Bill Clinton’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo

President George W. Bush, 2001


President George W. Bush poses for his official portrait in the Roosevelt Room in a blue tie.

President George W. Bush’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo by Eric Draper

President Barack Obama, 2009


Barack Obama's official White House portrait.

President Barack Obama’s official White House portrait.

Official White House photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama, 2013


President Barack Obama's second official White House portrait.

President Barack Obama’s second official White House portrait.

Official White House photo by Pete Souza

President Donald Trump, 2017


Donald Trump's first White House portrait.

President Donald Trump’s first White House portrait.

Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead

President Joe Biden, 2021


President Joe Biden's official White House portrait.

The official portrait of President Joe Biden, taken in the Library room at the White House.

Official White House photo by Adam Schultz

President Donald Trump, 2025


Donald Trump's presidential portrait.

President Donald Trump’s second official White House portrait.

Official White House photo by Daniel Torok

President Donald Trump, 2025


Donald Trump's new White House portrait.

Donald Trump’s new White House portrait.

Official White House photo by Daniel Torok



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