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President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to demand the removal of a portrait of himself in the Colorado State Capitol building. The portrait was painted by a Colorado-based British-born artist, Sarah A. Boardman. Boardman had also painted the portrait of Barack Obama after Lawrence Williams, who painted the rest of the other 43 US presidents.
In his Truth Social rant, Trump noted,
"Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before. The artist also did President Obama, and he look wonderful, but the one (of) me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older."
Trump noted that he would rather not have a picture than have the current portrait. He also posted images of his official first-term presidential portrait and his current one to show the contrast.
He then noted that many people from Colorado have complained about the portrait to him and mentioned that he's contacted Colorado's Democratic Gov. Jared Polis to take the portrait down. Donald Trump also said, "Jared should be ashamed of himself."
Who painted Donald Trump's Colorado portrait?
Sarah A. Boardman, who also painted the portrait of Barack Obama, painted Donald Trump's portrait. During the portrait's August 2019 unveiling ceremony at the State Capitol, Boardman mentioned,
"My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not tweeting. In five, 10, 15, 20 years, he will be another President on the wall who is only historical background, and he needs to look neutral."
While responding to Donald Trump's recent rant, Gov. Polis' office issued a statement to multiple outlets saying,
"Gov. Polis was surprised to learn the president of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado state capitol and its artwork."
He also added,
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"We appreciate the president and everyone's interest in our capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience."
While speaking to Colorado Times Reporter during an interview at the time of the unveiling, Boardman noted that she doesn't let her personal opinion on politics influence her work and strives to portray the "likeness and 'essence'" of the subject. She mentioned that she leaves any personal feelings "outside the studio."
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