White House unveils a new, darker presidential portrait

A new official portrait of President Donald Trump has been unveiled by the White House, replacing an earlier photograph that was released for Trump's inauguration this year.

The portrait, revealed by the White House in a short video Monday, shows Trump, wearing a red tie, in close-up against a dark backdrop. His face, bearing a stern expression, is accentuated by high contrast and dark shadows.

The lighting and background differ from the portrait released for Trump's inauguration, which was more evenly lit but still subdued, and showed the president in a blue tie in front of an American flag.

Trump's portrait from his first term showed him standing in front of an American flag with a blue tie, brightly lit and smiling.

The absence of the American flag in the most recent portrait is a departure from contemporary tradition. A gallery of past portraits on the website of the Library of Congress shows that the flag has appeared in every official presidential photograph since Gerald Ford's, which was released by the White House in 1974.

Before Ford, most presidents were shown against a plain backdrop, as Trump is in his latest portrait.

The new photograph has already been added to the White House's website.