The former president slammed the artwork, claiming it was purposefully distorted and criticised Governor Jared Polis for allowing it
US President Donald Trump has called for the removal of his portrait from the Colorado State Capitol, criticizing the artwork as purposefully distorted. On March 23, Trump, 78, posted on Truth Social, expressing dissatisfaction with the painting by artist Sarah Boardman, which hangs in the Gallery of Presidents in Denver. "Nobody likes a bad picture, but the one in Colorado is truly the worst," Trump wrote, accusing Colorado Governor Jared Polis of approving the image.
Trump compared his portrait to Barack Obama’s, also painted by Boardman, saying, "She must have lost her talent as she got older." He further claimed many Coloradans were "angry" about the artwork and called Polis "extremely weak on crime."
The portrait, unveiled in 2019, was funded through a GoFundMe campaign launched by former Colorado Senate President Kevin Grantham after activists placed a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the gallery. It took 32 hours and around 200 donors to raise $10,000 for Trump’s official painting.
Boardman, a British-born artist based in Colorado Springs, previously painted Obama’s portrait after the original artist, Lawrence Williams, died in 2003. At the time of the unveiling, she described the event as a "great day" and urged viewers to keep the focus on portraiture rather than politics.
Trump did not explain why he raised concerns about the portrait nearly six years after its installation. Colorado officials have not yet responded to his remarks.
