Melania Trump’s official portrait released by White House
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The official portrait of first lady Melania Trump was unveiled by the White House on Monday.
The image, released in black and white, was taken in the residence by photographer Régine Mahaux.
The first lady’s office confirmed the photo was taken on Jan. 21, 2025, though the initial release mistakenly said it was taken in 2024.
The portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were released earlier this month ahead of the inauguration. Those images were put out by the transition team.
Melania Trump attended the inaugural events, and made a statement with her style choices. She first wore a navy and ivory ensemble, complete with a hat, from American designer Adam Lippes for the swearing-in ceremony. For the evening’s inaugural balls, she donned a black-and-white gown designed by her longtime stylist Herve Pierre.
She also joined President Trump as he surveyed hurricane damage in North Carolina last Friday.
The two celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary last week. President Trump took to his social media platform to wish her a happy anniversary.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar emphasized Sunday the importance of FBI background checks for Trump’s Cabinet nominees, which she said was necessary for their confirmation.
“I want to make a decision on each one of them on the merits, as I’ve done in the past, and I can’t do that without the background checks,” Klobuchar told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “Why wouldn’t we get these background checks for the most important job in the United States government?”
Klobuchar expressed concern that the Trump transition team has yet to sign the necessary agreements to allow such screenings to occur, and she believes this will create “a delay in getting these Cabinet officials in.”
Klobuchar said she “of course” has concerns about Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who Trump selected for his attorney general after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, but she plans to meet with her and hear her out.
“Does it concern me that revenge would be part of [Bondi’s] mission? Of course it does,” she said. “I hope that’s not the case. I hope that what she wants to do is uphold the Constitution, because that is a really important job.”
During Trump’s first term, Klobuchar voted against both of his attorney general nominees, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, but voted yes on about half of his nominees.
When asked what it would take for her to vote to confirm Bondi, Klobuchar said she “doesn’t know yet.”
“I never weigh in unless it’s something as absurd as Matt Gaetz,” she said, emphasizing her disapproval of Trump’s initial attorney general selection.
Klobuchar added she is “concerned with all these nominees,” pointing to Pete Hegseth’s comments opposing women in combat and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s questioning of vaccines.
She emphasized the need for Cabinet members to have “views consistent with the American people,” in addition to having the necessary qualifications.
However, she added, “As with every nominee, I believe you need to hear them out.”
In regards to Trump making recess appointments and whether Cabinet nominees could be approved without Senate confirmation, Klobuchar said, “I don’t think that’s going to happen.” She cited “a number” of Republican senators who have “both publicly and privately” said “they will not go along with that.”
(NEW YORK) — Former President Bill Clinton, during an appearance on ABC’s The View on Wednesday, indicated he hopes President Joe Biden will not preemptively pardon people who could be targeted by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, including Clinton’s wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“If President Biden wanted to talk to me about that, I would talk to him about it. But I don’t think I should be giving public advice on the pardon power. I think it’s too — it’s a very personal thing, but it is — I hope he won’t do that,” Clinton said.
“Most of us get out of this world ahead of where we’d get if all we got was simple justice. And so it’s normally a fool’s errand. You spend a lot of time trying to get even,” he added.
President Biden and his senior aides have been discussing possible preemptive pardons for people who might be targeted by the new Trump administration, according to a source close to the president. Experts have told ABC News he has the power to do so under the Constitution.
Clinton emphasized that he does not believe any potential charges from the incoming Trump administration brought against Hillary Clinton would be valid, arguing that she did not do anything wrong with her handling of emails during her time at the State Department — a controversy which became a flashpoint late in the 2016 election cycle.
Asked separately about his recent comments that a Republican could be more likely to be the first female president, Clinton said, “The impulse to say a woman probably shouldn’t be president comes more from the right than from the left — in the brain — and it’s an impulsive thing.”
He also surmised that voters are not always looking toward how much experience a politician had, because of how they’re focused on day-to-day issues.
“If you’re an alienated voter and you’re genuinely worried about your family’s financial security or your personal security, then the last thing you want is somebody who’s well qualified … if you think the total sum of impact of government action is negative, then you may not want somebody who’s well qualified,” Clinton said.
“And that’s the danger we’re at now, because it actually does matter if you know things.”
Asked about what may happen after Trump’s victory, Clinton emphasized that Trump won fairly.
“So, I think what we have to do is to observe a peaceful transfer of power, stand up for what we believe, and work together when we can,” Clinton said.
“I do not think we should just be jamming them, even though they do that to us a lot. I think it’s a mistake,” he added.
During the 2024 campaign cycle, Bill Clinton campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris, serving as a key surrogate sent to rural areas and to speak with working-class voters.
Asked how Democrats can win back working-class voters who have been shifting to support Republicans, Clinton said that he feels part of the challenge is “cultural,” as rural voters skewer more conservative and are dealing with things they are not used to.
“The world moves on, and things that once made sense to people don’t anymore,” he said. “The world moves on, and things that once made sense to people don’t anymore. Things that should make sense don’t anymore.”
“We need to quit screaming at each other and listen to each other. We need to have a serious conversation about these things. And I think one of the things that Democrats sometimes do is give up on too many people, because the demographics say they’re not going to be for it,” Clinton said.
“Well, that may be, but you know, if you don’t deal with something that’s controversial, just because you don’t want to hear it, that’s like an insult to voters.”
Clinton has devoted time to charitable and health causes since his presidency, and his memoir “Citizen: My Life After the White House” released in November.
“First, it was fun, and secondly, it was important,” Clinton said of his charitable work. “And thirdly, I could do it. And it didn’t matter if the president was Barack Obama or George Bush, we just did things that human beings needed.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a deal brokered by the U.S. “to end the devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.”
“This has been the deadliest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in decades,” Biden said in remarks from the Rose Garden.
Biden said the agreement reached will go into effect early Wednesday.
“At 4 a.m. tomorrow local time, the fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end. Will end,” Biden said. “This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
