President Donald Trump has called for his official portrait to be taken down from the Colorado State Capitol, saying it looks “purposefully distorted” and is “truly the worst.” He made this request to the governor of Colorado following the portrait’s long-standing display among presidential images in the capitol.
The painting was done by Sarah A. Boardman, a Colorado artist who had also painted Barack Obama’s portrait for the same collection. At the portrait’s 2019 unveiling, she explained that she aimed for a classic, neutral style so the painting would remain relevant as a part of history. She avoided any obvious emotion or political message in her representation of Trump.
Fox News reported that Trump believes that the portrait does not accurately represent him, claiming it is intentionally distorted. He compared it to Obama’s portrait by the same artist, saying Obama’s depiction was flattering while his own was not. Trump also claimed to represent the views of many Coloradans who are upset with the portrait.
Governor of Colorado hasn’t removed ‘distorted’ portrait of president Trump
In response, Governor Jared Polis expressed surprise at Trump’s focus on the state’s art collection. The governor’s office noted the historical importance of the capitol building and its artwork, including the presidential portraits. No action has been taken regarding the removal of the portrait as of writing this.
It’s not unusual for presidents to dislike their official portraits. For example, Theodore Roosevelt hated his 1902 White House portrait, which he found unflattering, leading him to destroy it and have it replaced. This historical context provides some background for Trump’s complaints, even though the situations and reactions are different.
The president wrote on Truth Social, “Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado… was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before… In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain. In fact, they are actually angry about it!”
Additionally, Trump included criticisms of Governor Polis regarding crime issues, specifically mentioning the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, in Aurora, Colorado, in the same statement about his portrait. The link between these two topics isn’t clear, and it seems like just some pot shots the president took at the governor.
The portrait’s creation had its own odd background. Normally, funding for these portraits comes from private donations through a non-profit group called Colorado Citizens for Culture. However, in 2018, efforts to raise money for Trump’s portrait fell short.
This led to an unusual situation in which a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefly put up in its place after a Democratic staffer helped arrange it. This action aimed to make a political statement and led to controversy, prompting Republican state Senator Kevin Grantham to start a successful GoFundMe campaign, raising $10,000 to fund Trump’s portrait.
The future of Trump’s portrait in the Colorado State Capitol is still up in the air. It is on the governor to remove it, and if the request has been ignored up until now, it is doubtful that it will be listened to. We’ll have to wait and see if anything will change.
Published: Mar 24, 2025 09:10 am