The White House has released the first official portrait of First Lady Melania Trump. The 46-year-old wife of President Donald Trump adopts an assertive pose in the picture, looking directly at the camera, with her arms crossed in front of her. The photo, taken at the White House, shows FLOTUS in a black blazer with a shirt sequin-detailed scarf tied around her neck. It comes three months after her husband was inaugurated as president. In an accompanying statement, Melania said: "I am honoured to serve in the role of First Lady, and look forward to working on behalf of the American people over the coming years." Details on the photographer or when the portrait was taken were not immediately available.
Melania Trump's official portrait has been released by the White House
Former model Melania currently lives in New York with the couple's 10-year-old child Barron, and has largely remained out of the spotlight since her husband took office. Mother and son are expected to move into the White House after Barron finishes the school year. Melania, who was born in Slovenia, is the second first lady to be born outside of the US. The first was Louisa Adams, wife of former President John Quincy Adams, who was born in London.
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While Melania currently lives in Manhattan, she has paid numerous visits to Washington D.C. Last week, she made an appearance at the 2017 Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Awards, and delivered a speech calling for the empowerment of women. "Together, we must declare that the era of allowing the brutality against women and children is over, while affirming that the time for empowering women around the world is now," she said.
The First Lady currently lives in New York with son Barron
"For wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished with them. However, wherever women are empowered, towns and villages, schools and economies are empowered, and together we are all made strong with them." Melania added: "We need to continue working towards gender empowerment and respect for people from all backgrounds and ethnicities, always remembering that together we are one race – the human race – and each one of us has unique gifts and talents to share with the world."
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