Trump’s Holiday Pic With Melania Explodes As Fan Zoom In on His Waistline, His Hands, and Other Details That Don’t Quite Add Up
The White House’s new Christmas portrait of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump was meant to spread holiday cheer, but close-ups led many to wonder what look they thought they were serving.
Instead of feeling festive, people found themselves wondering what look the couple was going for and whether the final result matched the moment.
The married couple stood in front of festive decorations, an American flag, and a second flag bearing the presidential seal.
In a photo from Trump’s first term as president, Melania wore a long white dress, while Trump wore a black tuxedo with a bow tie. The two smiled and appeared to be happy. But not this year.
Trump, 79, again dressed in a black tuxedo for the 2025 photos, as she held his spouse’s hand in the picture. Melania, 55, wore another long dress, this time going for an all-black sleeveless look. Online, critics said the coordinated outfits read less like a holiday portrait and more like funeral attire.
However, many of the comments under the photo focused on Melania’s blank facial expression over Trump’s stern look.
“Melania, blink twice if you’re in danger,” a commenter jokingly wrote as a sarcastic offer to help the stoned-face former teenage model.
Another highlighted the general somber vibe of what is supposed to be a joyful, upbeat presentation of the Trumps by pointing out, “What’s up with that Christmas portrait? They both look so constipated. No joy no love !!! Awful!!”
X users joined in on making fun of Trump and Melania’s unconventional deadpan demeanor in the White House’s yuletide-season snapshot. One Facebook reader wondered, “Do photographers not say ‘smile!’ before taking pictures anymore? It’s like they’re having a funeral for Christmas.”
One asked, “Why do they both look so miserable? Jeez, they can’t even smile for a Christmas portrait? BTW, his hand is still swollen.”
Another agreed, “They always look so miserable – Does he wear shoes too small? His leg and feet look weird.”
Photographer: “Smile!”…😁
Melania: “Hoo geeves ah fok ubouw kreezmass”😐#MiserableCouple pic.twitter.com/K0SIui4DQo
— Ms. Rache#500 (@ramirrera) December 23, 2025
Trump’s hand is normally covered with a band-aid patch or makeup, but the image appears to be altered to match the rest of his skin.
His noticeable weight loss was also hard to miss or so some think, as one social media user suggested the image was altered, “He’s slimmed down for the photo, too. Isn’t technology great!”
The joke wasn’t pulled from thin air that Melania comes across as irritated by Trump’s presence at times. Back in 2017, during Donald Trump’s first presidential inauguration, cameras famously caught Melania Trump’s reaction to her husband in a moment that has been replayed and dissected ever since.
As Trump turned toward his wife standing behind him, then back toward the crowd, Melania’s facial expression quickly changed from a warm smile to a cold scowl. Gifs of that moment have gone viral numerous times over the last eight years.
Melania slaps at President Trump when he tries to hold her hand after pair arrive in Israel https://t.co/cmkTL0o0xX pic.twitter.com/tlVxRPxKfD
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) May 22, 2017
Déjà vu struck once again when Trump returned to the White House in 2025 for his second, nonconsecutive term. Melania seemingly spurned his attempts at affection one more time after exiting the Marine One helicopter in September.
After disappearing from public view for the early part of 2025, the first lady has been stepping out more with Trump in the latter part of the year, attending events in Washington in December, such as the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony and a White House holiday reception.
The embrace of Christmastime parties and imagery is a contradiction to Melania’s previous private comments about her responsibility to deck the halls of the White House as the sitting first lady.
“I’m working… my a– off on the Christmas stuff… who gives a [damn] about the Christmas stuff and decorations? ” Melania said in a secret recording leaked in 2020 by her former senior adviser, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.
The now-infamous quote set off a mini-scandal that rocked the first lady’s office, as she downplayed her past remarks as “salacious gossip” from “self-serving individuals.”
Trump and Melania tied the knot in 2005. They share one son, 19-year-old Barron Trump. Previously, Trump had three children with his late first wife, Ivana Trump, and a daughter with his second wife, Marla Maples.
