Karoline Leavitt releases ‘behind-the-scenes’ photos after viral Vanity Fair close-up
WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram after a close-up portrait of her in Vanity Fair went viral.
The new images, posted on Wednesday, December 17 appear to show Leavitt preparing for a live television interview outside the White House.
The sequence of events began with a high-profile Vanity Fair portrait session that drew widespread attention due to the striking detail of how Leavitt was photographed.
Karoline Leavitt’s behind-the-scenes response
After the Vanity Fair photos became a social media topic, Leavitt posted new images on Instagram that were described as “behind-the-scenes shots.”
In the Instagram post, Leavitt shared snapshots of herself adjusting her hair while she prepared to be interviewed live on the White House North Lawn.
In the images, she wore a leopard-print jacket, a black turtleneck, and sported red nail polish.
The Instagram caption reads, “Behind the scenes before a live interview on the North Lawn of the White House.”
When Vanity Fair published its two-part interview series with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, the magazine also featured other prominent members of President Trump's second administration, including Leavitt.
Leavitt, whom Vanity Fair described as the Trump administration’s “mouthpiece,” was photographed in an extreme close-up portrait in which alleged lip filler injection sites were visibly apparent.
Christopher Anderson and Vanity Fair portraits
The image was taken by photographer Christopher Anderson, who is known for his close-up portraits.
“Very close-up portraiture has been a fixture throughout much of my work over the years,” he told The Independent following the release of the Vanity Fair story and its accompanying images.
Expanding on his artistic approach, He said, “Particularly, political portraits that I’ve done over the years. I like the idea of penetrating the theater of politics.”
Anderson also captured close-up portraits of other administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, and several others.
Anderson clarified that the photographic style was not intended to demean any subject.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers responded to the portraits by stating that it was “clear that Vanity Fair intentionally photographed Karoline and the White House staff in bizarre ways, and deliberately edited the photos, to try to demean and embarrass them.”
Rogers added praise for Leavitt, calling her a “beautiful person” and “one of the most incredible people you will meet in politics.”
