The Vanity Fair Photographer Behind the Trump Cabinet Photos Thinks He Did a Good Job

The interviews with Trump cabinet officials that were part of a Vanity Fair spread in mid-December have caused quite a stir, but there's been almost as much chatter about the photography itself. That's because, in addition to some fairly standard posed photographs, there are some unusual shots that are part of the spread.

The most controversial of these are extreme close-up photos of members of the cabinet that some have argued are not the kindest way to photograph a person. Now, the photographer behind the images is defending his choice.

"This is hilarious, Vanity Fair," one person wrote in the comments under a post containing photos of the cabinet.

"Loving the shade VF is throwing in all the photos," another person added.

Given that the photos are sometimes unflattering (including one where Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears to be staring at a lamp), many people assumed that photographer Chris Anderson was making an intentional statement.

For his part, though, Chris is suggesting that the photos are simply unvarnished and that it wasn't his intention to make anyone look bad.

“Very close-up portraiture has been a fixture in a lot of my work over the years,” he explained to The Independent. “Particularly, political portraits that I’ve done over the years. I like the idea of penetrating the theater of politics.”

“I know there’s a lot to be made with, ‘Oh, he intentionally is trying to make people look bad’ and that kind of thing – that’s not the case,” he continued. “If you look at my photograph work, I’ve done a lot of close-ups in the same style with people of all political stripes.”

It seems, then, that the photos are part of Chris's usual style, and while Vanity Fair might have hired him to make Trump's team look bad, it doesn't seem like that's what he was trying to do.

Although the photographer might not have been trying to make anyone in Trump's cabinet look bad, Vice President JD Vance apparently didn't want everyone to come out looking great.

According to the accompanying Vanity Fair article, he joked to Chris, saying, “I’ll give you $100 for every person you make look really s---ty compared to me. And $1,000 if it’s Marco.”

It's unclear whether the vice president was serious or joking, but what does seem apparent is that he wants to make sure Rubio is not a threat when it comes time to seek the 2028 presidential nomination.

The article itself, meanwhile, has fairly controversial things to say about Trump's team, including a suggestion by his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, that Trump has an "alcoholic personality" and a suggestion that Vance is a "conspiracy theorist."

Vanity Fair's goal seems to have been to give the Trump team a chance to discuss their first year in the White House. Whether they took full advantage of that remains to be seen.