Here’s a bit of tradition I didn’t know about art in the White House: the two most recent presidential portraits are typically displayed in the Grand Foyer. Up until Friday, the two portraits hanging in that designated spot were of Obama and Bush; Biden’s official portrait is not yet complete, and I believe they’re still sourcing all the orange oil paint for Trump’s. Unsurprisingly, the current president doesn’t feel beholden to courteous customs. As 45, the orange menace replaced portraits of Clinton and Bush with (very much not recent presidents) William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Now as 47, Trump has upped the ick factor by replacing Obama’s portrait with, I sh-t you not, a painting of Trump’s July 2024 assassination attempt. Aside from being generally appalled, Obama-era White House photographer Pete Souza noted that the new “artwork” gets a lot of foot traffic from public White House tours.
The White House swapped the official portrait of former President Barack Obama for a painting based on a photograph of the sitting President Donald Trump, after the July 2024 assassination attempt.
The portraits were swapped on Friday, April 11, per CNN. The new painting of Trump, 78, shows him raising his fist after a bullet grazed his ear at a rally in Butler, Pa., in July 2024, in an apparent assassination attempt. The swap was announced via the White House’s official social media account.
The replacement breaks the White House tradition, as it is customary to include the two most recent presidential portraits in the Grand Foyer, near the entrance of the executive mansion, so state guests and visitors can view them in a prominent location.
Since Trump and Joe Biden’s portraits are not yet complete, the two most recent presidential portraits on display were that of Obama, 63, and his predecessor, President George W. Bush.
Obama’s portrait is now hung across the Grand Foyer, where Bush’s had been hanging. Bush’s portrait was prematurely bumped out of the Grand Foyer and relocated to a different location next to the portrait of his late father, former President George H.W. Bush, per CNN.
…The move is reminiscent of Trump’s actions in his previous term, when he similarly replaced portraits of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Bush in the Grand Foyer. Instead, he opted to showcase former Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
…The artist behind the new painting of Trump has yet to be confirmed, though it is not his official White House portrait, which is normally ceremonially revealed in the years after leaving office. The new painting is based on photographs of the assassination attempt by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci and New York Times photographer Doug Mills.
“The artist behind the new painting of Trump has yet to be confirmed…” The words “artist” and “painting” are doing a lot of heavy lifting there. Also, $10 that some office minions simply sent a press photo to one of those online sites that paintify an image for you. All to appease a lunatic with a huge ego and baby, er, fists. Well, another line crossed off Trump’s I Wanna Be A Dictator list: erecting tributes to yourself. And of course this isn’t the only bit of redecorating that DonDon has done — eagle-eyed fans of the Oval Office Swedish Ivy plant noticed in early February that the 60-year-old iconic greenery was missing from the fireplace mantle (and replaced with what else, a suite of gold objet d’art). Which led to another bit of White House history I didn’t know: the Swedish Ivy (which is actually more like mint than ivy, and from South Africa, not Sweden, but what’s in a name?!) was a gift from an Irish ambassador to JFK in 1961, where it has been displayed on the Oval’s mantle ever since. Since it grows so well, it’s been a practice for decades for little clippings to be given to staff, visitors, and more. I shudder to think where it is now. MAGA: Make America Green-less Again.
Jesus H. Christ
Right? There are no words. All day, every day.
Such a tacky, petty, cruel and depraved little toddler and a huge worldwide embarrassment on so many levels.
On the other hand, a huge opportunity for us all to come together in every town, hamlet and city to be kind and generous to one another – building community and strength.
I was here to say the opposite: this is the painting folks should throw milkshakes at
But your point is valid- we should be bigger than the behavior we’ve seen from this administration
I just wish being bigger was actually effective. Our nation feels full of either idiots (MAGA), cowards (silent republicans), apathetics (non voters) or those that rotate between catatonia and hysteria (Dems).
That bad painting will become iconic, especially the day it is removed by the people’s vote (so long as we still have it)
I like that wolfmamma. I just saw a post on FB yesterday saying to donate your time and money to your local library or other good causes that do something for the community and our fellow humans. Build up and support our local communities with kindness and generosity.
Trump still stinging over the crack Obama made of him at the White House Correspondents Dinner many years ago. Meanwhile a Wi teen has been charged with murder and an assassination plot against Trump.
Too bad he failed.
They say that remark is why he decided to run for president. How many years ago was that? Get over it man.
Trump is genius-level at holding grudges—and that is it.
He is the most petty insecure man In the history of mankind.
His fake assassination attempt picture. That tracks.
He is so obsessed with Black people and President Obama in particular. Most MAGA are.
I forgot how much I love the portrait of Mrs. Obama.
Michelle Obama lived her white house years with intelligence, beauty, grace, and dignity. The painting I see above does not do her justice.
Looks like something a maggat would paint on thr side of a van. This will be maggat merched into car decals mark mh words.
I’m sure that it has been put on a tshirt.
The first thought that comes to mind is how utterly embarrassing this is.
Soooo he thinks this painting looks good, but the other painting from the Colorado Capitol (whose only flaw was giving him a normal human skin tone) was so terrible it had to be removed? Yeah, that tracks.
Thanks Kismet. I just spit-sprayed my coffee. This looks like someone’s idea of a joke paint-by-numbers set. They’d do better to replace this “whatever it is” with a genuine classic work of art that tRump and his MAGAts might actually understand, like Dogs Playing Poker. For the Orange Stain and his minions, DPP is practically Louvre-worthy.
It’s all so pathetic.
The cherry on top is the fact that it doesn’t fit in the carving on the wall at the back lol.
THIS
Money don’t buy class, morals or common sense. Holy f#ck he just has no class or dignity.
Or good taste. Every choice they’ve made in the White House or the gardens have been tacky as hell.