President Trump has long defined himself through photographs. But now that he’s in the White House, he’s learning that they can define him too.
As a business executive and later a reality TV star, Trump used carefully staged photographs to define his brand. The cover photo of “The Art of the Deal,” his best-selling book, showed him looking handsome, confident and rich while posing on top of the world in New York City.
In the White House, the trappings of the presidency have given Trump’s images even more power. At the same time, he’s photographed every time he heads out in public, and the results don’t always play to the message he wants to send.
MORE: The Roots of Donald Trump: a Life in Pictures
One photograph of Trump meeting with an all-male group of Republican lawmakers to discuss the health care bill was slammed by critics who noted the changes the White House sought would affect women’s health. It quickly went viral on the Internet and became something of a meme.
Below, TIME looked at photos from the President’s first 100 days in office that showed the power of the image to strengthen — and undermine — Trump’s image.
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January 28, 2017
President Trump speaks on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office, surrounded by (from left) his Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, Press Secretary Sean Spicer and National Security Advisor Michael Flynn on January 28, 2017.
January 28, 2017
President Trump holds up a signed Executive Order in the Oval Office. The document includes restrictions against lobbying for “Every appointee in every executive agency appointed on or after January 20, 2017. The photos of him signing things eventually inspired the viral meme @trumpdraws.
February 11, 2017
The dining room at Mar-a-Lago turns into the Situation Room when a businessman-turned-actor from Stoneham, Massachusetts, Richard DeAgazio wrote on his Facebook page: “HOLY MOLY!!! It was fascinating to watch the flurry of activity at dinner when the news came that North Korea had launched a missile in the direction of Japan.”
April 6, 2017
President Trump receives a briefing on the Syria military strike from his National Security team, including a video teleconference with Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford in a secured location at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on April 6, 2017.