Trump supporters agree with Colorado Republicans who have defended President Trump by ordering the removal of his “purposefully distorted” portrait from the state Capitol.
See the tweet below.
The unflattering painting, which Trump himself blasted as “truly the worst,” sparked immediate controversy when the President called for its removal from the public display where it hung alongside other presidential portraits.
The oil painting, created by artist Sarah Boardman during Trump’s first term and unveiled in 2019, drew the President’s ire for its unflattering depiction compared to her portrait of former President Obama.
Trump did not mince words when he criticized the artwork on his Truth Social platform, calling out what he perceived as deliberate misrepresentation.
He specifically targeted the stark contrast between how the same artist portrayed him versus his predecessor.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one [of] me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older,” he added.
The controversy highlights what many conservatives see as yet another example of anti-Trump bias in public institutions.
State Republicans raised over $10,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to commission the painting after Trump’s election, but they ended up with what the President and many supporters considered a deliberately unflattering portrayal.
Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen suggested replacing the current portrait with a more “contemporary likeness” of Trump.
Following the President’s complaint, the legislature’s Executive Committee ordered the portrait removed from the Capitol gallery and stored securely until further notice.
Adding to the portrait saga’s political undertones was a previous incident in which pranksters placed a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin near Trump’s reserved spot before the official portrait was installed.
While Trump blamed Governor Jared Polis (D-CO) for the unflattering image, the Democrat governor’s office claimed no involvement in its creation or selection.
Boardman, the artist at the center of the controversy, defended her work by stating that official portraits are subject to viewer interpretation and that she aimed for her depictions of both Obama and Trump to be “apolitical.”
However, many visitors to the Capitol noted the obvious differences in how the two presidents were portrayed.
Despite House Democrats’ dismissive response that “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’s removal represents a victory for those who demand fair treatment of conservative figures in public spaces dominated by liberal influence.
The portrait dispute reminds many Trump supporters of the broader culture war being waged against conservative values and figures across America’s institutions, where representation often falls victim to partisan bias disguised as artistic expression.
Trump’s portrait to be taken down at Colorado Capitol after president claimed it was ‘distorted’ https://t.co/ZcYSGrk0Wq
— POLITICO (@politico) March 24, 2025
