Former President Obama’s portrait replaced with a painting of Mr. Trump – Photo: PEOPLE
AFP news agency reported on April 12 that President Trump recently replaced the portrait of former President Barack Obama in the White House with a painting depicting his legendary moment when he survived an assassination attempt in July 2024 in Pennsylvania.
Unusual move
Accordingly, Mr. Trump is said to have moved Mr. Obama’s portrait to the opposite side of the large hallway at the entrance to the White House.
This move is considered very unusual for a sitting president, because up until now, presidents have had to wait until they leave office to have their portraits hung in this historic building that is over 200 years old.
“Some new art at the White House,” the White House account shared on social network X with a video recording people walking past the new painting of President Trump, placed right next to the main staircase – where a portrait of Mr. Obama used to hang.
This new painting of Mr. Trump recreates the historic moment when the 74-year-old president raised a bloody fist and shouted “Fight!”, after being shot in the ear by a gunman during an event in Butler, Pennsylvania last year.
A White House official said it was not clear who painted the picture, but it was said to be very similar to the AP photo of the moment.
Several White House officials shared this new photo of the president, while also showing that a portrait of Mr. Obama still hangs nearby.
“The portrait of former President Obama was only moved a few feet away,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X, telling one critic of the move: “Shut up, idiot.”
Traditionally, US presidents have rearranged the portraits of their predecessors, but kept those of recent presidents in the main lobby of the White House.
The portrait of Mr. Obama was unveiled in 2022 by then-president Joe Biden, with an image of Mr. Obama wearing a black suit and gray tie on a white background.
Portraits of Mr. Obama and Mr. Trump are placed side by side at the Colorado State Capitol Building, USA – Photo: DENVER POST
Long-standing feud
However, AFP news agency assessed that the White House’s ostentation surrounding the swapping of the two paintings clearly reflected the long-standing and bitter feud between Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama, who was president from 2009 to 2017.
President Trump is said to have launched his political career after being ridiculed for promoting the racist and false “birther” conspiracy theory, which alleges that Obama lied about being a natural-born US citizen, and was therefore ineligible to be president.
For his part, the first black president of the United States has also repeatedly mocked Mr. Trump, most memorably at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner – where Mr. Trump became the focus of the teasing.
“No one is happier than Mr. Trump tonight. After all, he can see for himself tonight, when we celebrate my birthday… in America,” Mr. Obama’s half-joking remark made the whole room laugh, while Mr. Trump kept a serious face throughout his speech.
This is considered one of the “fatal” moments that hurt President Trump’s self-esteem, and many observers believe that this public humiliation contributed to his decision to delve deeper into politics, and eventually run for president.
The incident also reflects a long-standing habit of Mr. Trump, who has never hesitated to hang self-glorifying portraits in his residences.
Mr. Trump recently hung outside the Oval Office a gold-rimmed photo of his criminal record in a case related to alleged 2020 election interference.
Additionally, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, he also displayed a large bronze statue depicting his defiant reaction to the attempted assassination of Butler.
