A photograph of Karoline Leavitt taken around Thanksgiving has been removed from major image archives after concerns from the White House about how it portrayed her, according to multiple reports.
The image, captured by Agence France-Presse photographer Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, showed Leavitt holding her son while standing near a turkey named “Waddle.” The photo was taken from a low angle, a detail that critics say contributed to an unflattering perspective. After the image circulated, Leavitt reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with it and contacted the agency.
The photograph has since been removed from both AFP’s distribution and Getty Images’ archive, raising questions about how and why editorial images are taken down.
AFP has pushed back on the idea that the removal was the result of outside pressure. In a statement, the agency said there was no formal request from the White House and no coercion involved, though it acknowledged that staff had made it known they found the image unflattering.
The incident comes amid broader tensions between the Trump administration and press photographers over image control. At the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth’s team recently restricted photographer access to briefings following complaints about images they considered unflattering, according to reporting from The Washington Post.
That decision followed coverage of a March 2 briefing tied to escalating conflict with Iran, shortly after the reported death of Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike.
Together, the episodes point to a growing sensitivity within the administration around visual presentation, particularly in high-profile or politically charged settings. While disputes over images are not new in politics, the removal of widely distributed editorial photographs is less common and can raise concerns about press independence and archival integrity.
Neither the White House nor Leavitt has publicly detailed the nature of the communication with AFP. The agency maintains that the decision to remove the image was made internally.
