Trump's most famous portrait

It was Pete Souza who raised the alarm, thanks to his shrewd eye and his knowledge of the US presidential office. Souza was the official photographer of the White House during Barack Obama's term in office and, through Instagram, he warned of a new farce by Donald Trump. Souza posted an old photograph of one of the access doors to the Oval Office of the White House on the social network. On the wall next to the door he drew a red circle so that users would pay attention to that seemingly insignificant corner. Below he gave a careful explanation: "This photo was taken from what is known as the Outer Oval Office – the Exterior Oval Office – looking towards the Oval Office, where President Obama is talking with the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner." Souza provided a lot of precision about that specific location of the presidential area: "The Outer Oval is the entry point to the Oval Office used by White House staff, members of Congress, and friends meeting with the President. Heads of state and other more formal visitors typically enter through another door. The President's personal assistants. This is a relatively narrow hallway that connects the Outer Oval to the Oval Office, and for this reason no administration has ever hung a historical painting on this wall, to prevent it from being damaged."

Pete Souza was referring to the specific area where he had drawn that red circle on the photograph. He explained: "As far as I can tell, this wall has always been empty." And here the story took an interesting turn: "Until now." And he explained his discovery. "An old copy of the New York Post framed in gold hanging on this wall. On the cover you can see the mugshot that was taken of the President of the United States in the Fulton County jail. Do you remember it?" Souza recalled the events of 2020, when a jury in Georgia indicted Trump on racketeering, conspiracy and other charges for interfering in the election results that year. The veteran photographer, who always tried to offer an endearing image because of the mugshot itself at the entrance to the Oval Office. Do you think it is a flattering image? Are you proud of this cover of the New York Post"Do you want your staff and friends to see you like this every time they walk into the Oval Office?"

Trump already turned the meaning of that photo into a merchandising product when he put the image printed on coffee mugs for sale. It was a way of defusing shame, becoming a kind of pop icon, or a figurine of a martyr in a souvenir shop. Populism, among other strategies, transforms its own discredit into evidence of its persecution by the elites. Trump, driven by narcissism, makes his criminality an act of empowerment to fight against the system. In an era in which truth and fiction are confused, the mugshot of his arrest remains in the limbo of confusion: it can seem like a comic montage. Donald Trump has the ability to always behave like a skilled contestant on a game show. reality, challenging the codes of the program to offer a constant spectacle. Trump, famous for his taste for the aesthetics of kitsch luxurious, he can only aspire to be remembered as a master artist of provocation. And that portrays him better than the police taking his photo at the police station.