During a speech at a House Republican event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump paused to single out a photographer in the crowd and complain about how pictures of him have turned out.
While speaking to GOP members on Tuesday, Trump spotted New York Times photographer Doug Mills, who won a Pulitzer Prize for photos of the 2024 assassination attempt on him. Trump pointed at him, praised his work, and mentioned his awards. Then he shifted gears. He asked Mills to take pictures that made him look thinner. He said that recent images made him look “a little heavy” and that he wasn’t happy about it.
Trump made a joke about the group of photographers, praising some at the front while teasing the ones farther back. Many in the audience laughed as he made a sucking sound with his teeth to indicate dislike of the photographers behind him.
This isn’t the first time Trump has publicly fretted over his image. He often comments on photos or how he appears in them, and he has brought up his looks at public events before. The comment about looking “thin” quickly drew reactions online, including from Democrats who posted unflattering photos to show there’s only so much photographers can do.
The moment stood out because it came in the middle of a speech where Trump was also talking about policy and political issues. But instead of focusing only on politics, he turned attention to his own public image in a light but pointed way.
