The painting of Donald Trump hanging in the Colorado state Capitol will soon be taken down after Trump himself claimed it was “purposefully distorted,” according to The Associated Press.
House Democrats confirmed that the oil painting would be removed at the request of Republican leaders in the state Legislature. The portrait, which was commissioned by Colorado Republicans who raised over $10,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, was unveiled in 2019 and placed alongside other presidential portraits.
Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, said he requested the removal of Trump’s portrait and suggested replacing it with one that shows a more “contemporary likeness” of the former president.
The Democrats responded with a statement, saying, “If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them.”
The portrait was originally placed next to others of U.S. presidents. Before it went up, a prankster had put up a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the spot intended for Trump.
When the portrait first went up, some criticized how artist Sarah Boardman had depicted Trump as “nonconfrontational” and “thoughtful,” which seemed at odds with how many saw him, according to interviews at the time.
However, in a post on his Truth Social platform Sunday night, Trump made it clear that he’d rather there be no portrait at all than the one that’s currently hanging in the Colorado Capitol. He even complimented a nearby portrait of former President Barack Obama, also by Boardman, calling it “wonderful.”
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves,” Trump wrote, adding, “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.”
Interestingly, the portraits are not directly overseen by the governor’s office but by the Colorado Building Advisory Committee. Most of the portraits up to and including President Jimmy Carter were donated as a collection, while others were funded through political parties or outside fundraising.
The executive committee of the Legislature, which includes both Democratic and Republican leaders, signed off on the decision to remove Trump’s portrait. Lundeen pointed out that former President Grover Cleveland, whose terms were separated much like Trump’s, had a portrait for each term.
Sarah Boardman, the artist, hasn’t commented on the situation yet. But back in 2019, she explained that her goal was to make her portraits of both Obama and Trump as apolitical as possible.
“There will always be dissent, so pleasing one group will always inflame another,” she told the Colorado Times Recorder. “I consider a neutrally thoughtful, and nonconfrontational, portrait allows everyone to reach their own conclusions in their own time.”
After Trump’s comments on the portrait, a steady stream of visitors came to take photos with the painting before the announcement that it would be taken down.
Aaron Howe, visiting from Wyoming, looked at the portrait and then compared it to photos of Trump on his phone. “Honestly, he looks a little chubby,” Howe said, though he added, “Better than I could do.”
Kaylee Williamson, an 18-year-old Trump supporter from Arkansas, took a picture with the painting as well. “I think it looks like him,” she said. “I guess he’s smoother than all the other ones. I think it’s fine.”
