Donald Trump moves official White House portrait of Barack

Donald Trump has reportedly ordered the relocation of the official portraits of former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H. W. Bush to less visible areas of the White House, according to CNN.

Obama’s portrait, unveiled in 2022 and painted by Robert McCurdy, was originally placed in the White House entryway but has since been moved to the top of the Grand Staircase — a restricted area seen only by the First Family, security, and select staff.

Sources say Trump also moved both Bush portraits to the same staircase location. George W. Bush’s portrait, painted by John Howard Sanden, was unveiled in 2012, while George H. W. Bush’s, by Herbert E. Abrams, debuted in 1995. Critics on social media labeled the move petty and disrespectful.

During his first term, Trump had already replaced Bill Clinton and George W. Bush’s portraits in the Grand Foyer with those of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, moving the originals to a rarely used dining room.

McCurdy has described his Obama portrait as a work focused on the gaze between viewer and subject, rather than telling a biographical story.

The portrait shift follows Trump sharing an AI-generated video depicting Obama being arrested, alongside accusations of treason related to the 2016 election. Obama’s spokesperson dismissed the claims as baseless and distracting.

The article also recalls a lighter Obama “scandal” from 2014, when he wore a tan suit during a press conference on ISIS. While critics deemed it unprofessional at the time, it has since been remembered humorously as a trivial political controversy.