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.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is taking maybe his final lap on the world stage this week with a trip to South America.
He’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, making a historic visit to the Amazon rainforest and attending two major summits.
His travel comes just about a week after the U.S. election threw into question what America’s role in the world will be during the next four years under President-elect Donald Trump.
Biden will kick off his trip to South America by traveling to Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. While there, he will meet with Peru’s President Dina Boluarte and other world leaders.
Biden’s time at APEC will likely come under heightened scrutiny because Trump has vowed to enact major tariffs that could vastly affect global trade.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said that Biden would “reinforce America’s leading role in the Indo-Pacific,” and touted his success in enhancing America’s “strategic position” in the region during a briefing with reporters on Wednesday. Sullivan touted Biden’s relationship with Indo-Pacific partners as at “a literal all-time high,” and said that is “what he’s going to hand off to President Trump.”
On Saturday, Biden’s planned sit-down with China’s President Xi will be the first with his Chinese counterpart since the two men met in Woodside, California, last November. It is also expected to be their last meeting as presidents.
“This meeting between President Biden and President Xi will be an opportunity to ensure a smooth transition and also to continue to keep those channels of communication open, including those especially critical military to military channels of communication,” Sullivan said.
Given that, the a senior administration official said that Biden will use the meeting as a point of reflection about how the U.S.-China relationship has evolved. The official declined to talk about what Biden’s message to Xi would be about policies to expect from a Trump administration.
“I think the way I come at this question is this is a tough, complicated relationship between the U.S. and China. And so whatever the next administration decides, they’re going to need to find ways to manage that tough, complicated relationship,” the official said on a call with reporters.
President Biden will then head to Manaus, Brazil – in the Amazon region – to engage with “local, indigenous, and other leaders working to preserve and protect this critical ecosystem,” according to the White House.
This will be a historic visit, the first time a sitting president has visited the Amazon rainforest, according to the White House. Sullivan said that the trip will “underscore his personal commitment” to combating climate change in the U.S. and around the world.
Biden’s historic visit comes as the next administration will likely enact major changes when it comes to climate policy. Trump has called climate change a hoax and has promised to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
After that, Biden will travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in the G20 summit. Sullivan said Biden’s aims in Rio will be to reassure allies despite pending differences in foreign policy as Trump prepares to take office.
“[Biden’s] going to have the same message that he’s had for four years as president, which is that he believes that America’s allies are vital to America’s national security,” Sullivan said. “They contribute to our common causes, including the cause of standing up for freedom and territorial integrity in Ukraine.”
Sullivan also said that there will be a major focus on structuring debt for low-and middle-income countries and helping finance for physical, digital and energy infrastructure. He added that geopolitical issues, including “Ukraine to the Middle East,” will also be crucial.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Friday is set to award the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, to seven U.S. Army veterans for heroism during the Korean War and Vietnam War.
The Medal of Honor is awarded to those who “distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their own lives above and beyond the call of duty,” according to the White House.
“The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life,” it said ahead of the White House ceremony taking place just under three weeks before Biden leaves office.
Five of the recipients were killed in battle. Among the two who survived and being honored is Korean War veteran Richard Cavazos, who became the first Hispanic four-star general for the Army.
Cavazos, who has since died, is receiving the Medal of Honor for heroism when fighting as a first lieutenant in the Korean War, for which he previously received the Distinguished Service Cross.
“He was a man of deep faith who loved his country, loved his family, loved his soldiers, and it was that love, that selfless love of which there’s no greater love that drove him up the hill that night in 1953 to collect the men of his company and get them to safety,” his son Tommy Cavazos told reporters ahead of the ceremony.
Richard Cavazos was ordered to withdraw his troops while fighting under intense enemy fire and brought his troops to safety, according to the Army. However, he remained on the battlefield alone and found five wounded men, evacuating them one by one. He then returned to the battlefield to search for missing soldiers, leading at least two groups of men who had been separated from the main fighting force to safety.
“He firmly believed that the Army provided the opportunity for ordinary citizens to raise their hands, take their oaths and do the extraordinary job of protecting this country,” Tommy Cavazos added.
On May 9, 2023, Fort Hood in Texas was renamed Fort Cavazos as part of a broader Biden administration effort to rename military installations named after Confederate generals.
“Gen. Cavazos was known around the Army as a battle proven warrior,” Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, commanding general of III Armored Corps, said at the time. “Let his name and all that it represents inspire us all every single day to live up to his legacy.”
Pfc. Charles R. Johnson, Cpl. Fred B. McGee, Pfc. Wataru Nakamura and Pvt. Bruno R. Orig will also be honored for actions in the Korean War, while Capt. Hugh R. Nelson Jr. and Pfc. Kenneth J. David will be honored for actions in the Vietnam War.
David, who also previously received the Distinguished Service Cross, is the only recipient still alive. He is being awarded for gallantry in a 1970 battle in which he helped his team of 14 soldiers push back hundreds of North Vietnamese troops.
On May 7, 1970, David exited his platoon’s defense perimeter and repeatedly drew attention toward himself after an initial enemy assault that mortally wounded his platoon leader and several other service members, according to the Army.
“Surrounded on three sides by the larger enemy force, he engaged them with his rifle and hand grenades,” the White House said in its press release. “When the enemy attempted to concentrate their fire on the wounded, Private First Class David jumped from his position and yelled to draw the fire back to himself.”
Though wounded in the attack, he continued to draw enemy fire away from his platoon so the wounded could be evacuated, denying aid for himself until all others were safe.
“It was not until the last helicopter was landing that he retreated from his position in front of the perimeter and continued laying down fire until finally being evacuated himself,” the White House added.
ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Banking customers could save up to $5 billion per year on overdraft fees under a new rule finalized Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Rohit Chopra, the director of the government watchdog in charge of protecting the public’s finances, told ABC News the final rule would cap overdraft fees at $5 for many customers.
That would mark a significant savings from the typical $35 fee that millions of customers pay when they withdraw more money from their checking accounts than they have available. The CFPB estimated the new rule could save the typical household $225 per year.
“Big banks love overdraft. It is easy profit for them, but it is punishing for so many Americans, especially those who live paycheck to paycheck,” Chopra told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
The CFPB announced the proposal in January as part of a broader effort by the administration of President Joe Biden to crack down on so-called junk fees. The new rule will take effect Oct. 1, 2025 — but legal challenges could delay that timeline. And Republicans in Congress could also pursue avenues to roll back the rules under a Trump administration.
GOP leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have frequently criticized the Biden administration for overreach and “runaway regulation.”
The Consumer Bankers Association, an industry group representing the nation’s biggest banks, echoed that concern, calling the CFPB rule “just the latest in a myriad of unnecessary and costly regulations by this Administration that seems guided by political polling, rather than by sound policy created by what should be independent agencies,” in a statement to ABC News in January.
But some big banks, including Bank of America, Citi and Capital One, already voluntarily lowered or eliminated overdraft fees — giving heft to the rule, regardless of its final implementation.
“I think some big banks admit that this has gone way too far and gone on way too long. And many of them are even finding that offering low or free overdraft products and services actually helps them gain customers who are looking to be treated fairly,” Chopra said.
The CFPB said consumers still paid a total of nearly $6 billion in overdraft fees last year.
Under the final rule announced Thursday, banks and credit unions will have three different options. They can limit all overdraft fees at $5, which is the amount the CFPB estimated will allow institutions to break even when they offer courtesy overdraft programs.
Banks can also choose to set their fees at “an amount that covers their costs and losses.”
Or if banks choose to make money from overdraft fees, they will be forced to disclose terms of the loan to customers clearly — in the same way customers may agree to high interest rates associated with credit card loans.
“If your bank is charging you big overdraft fees or reordering your payments to enrich themselves, you need to break up with your bank. There are so many local banks, credit unions and others that are offering a better deal, and you should take your business elsewhere,” Chopra said.
The CFPB rule would apply to banks with more than $10 billion in deposits.
