Donald Trump moves official White
Trump Moves Presidential Portraits
Donald Trump reportedly ordered the official portraits of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush to be moved to less visible spots in the White House.
Obama’s portrait, originally displayed in the main entryway, was relocated to the top of the Grand Staircase—an area “heavily restricted to members of the First Family, US Secret Agents, and a limited number of White House and executive residence staff.”
Both Bush portraits were moved to the same area, making them less accessible to the public.
Public Reaction and Past Actions
Many on social media criticized Trump’s decision, with one calling him a “petty and insecure man” and another saying, “Just when you think he couldn’t disrespect more he goes and tops himself again.”
This is not the first time Trump shifted presidential portraits.
In his first term, he replaced Bill Clinton and George W. Bush’s portraits in the Grand Foyer with those of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, moving the originals to a less frequented room.
The Obama Portrait and Artist’s View
Obama’s portrait, painted by Robert McCurdy, shows him in a black suit on a blank background. McCurdy explained, “The subject ultimately for me was the idea of the gaze — two people looking directly at each other with nothing else to load the narrative.” He said the painting is about “the relationship between the viewer with this particular person.”
Additional Context and Controversies
The portrait move follows recent tensions between Trump and Obama. Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting Obama’s arrest, accusing him of “treason” related to the 2016 election. Obama’s team dismissed these claims as “a weak attempt at distraction.” The article also recalled a past minor controversy when Obama wore a tan suit in 2014, which critics unfairly targeted as unprofessional. Obama joked later, “Michelle, whose fashion sense is a little better than mine, tells me that’s not appropriate in January.” Now, “tan suits are all the rage.”
