Photo: Thomas Peipert/AP Photo
Between bullying America’s allies, harassing federal judges, and acting as an amateur Tesla salesman, Donald Trump has a lot on his plate. But the president took a break from his busy schedule to complain about a portrait of him that’s been hanging in the Colorado State Capitol for five years.
In a Sunday night Truth Social post, Trump said his portrait in the Colorado State Capitol “was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.”
Trump said that the same artist painted Barack Obama and “he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst.”
The president then attacked the state’s governor, while asking that he do him a favor and take the portrait down. Trump claimed that “many people from Colorado have called and written to complain,” so “I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime … to take it down. Jared should be ashamed of himself!”
Trump followed up by posting his two official White House portraits, presumably because he’d prefer that we picture him either smiling and eight years younger, or giving “menacing AI mug shot” vibes.
Trump did not explain why he’s raising this issue now. Nor did he provide any evidence that people have complained about the painting, or that the artist, Sarah Boardman, “purposely distorted” his image. The Trump portrait project was already underway when Governor Polis assumed office in January 2019, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be giving in to Trump’s demand. A Polis spokesperson told The Hill:
Gov. Polis was surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork. The State Capitol was completed in 1901, and features Rose Onyx and White Yule Marble mined in Colorado, and includes portraits of former Presidents and former governors. We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.
While this certainly isn’t the most flattering portrait, it seems everyone involved was actually trying to treat Trump like a normal president. The effort to add Trump to the state Capitol’s Gallery of Presidents was led and approved by Republican state officials, as 9 News Denver reported:
Republican-led efforts to get Trump’s painting hung on the Colorado Capitol wall began in the summer of 2018. Republican State Sen. Kevin Grantham raised $10,000 in a few hours on GoFundMe for the portrait.
The painting, which was approved by Colorado Republicans, was put up in August 2019 at an event hosted by the Colorado Senate Republicans and artist Sarah A. Boardman. The unveiling event was described as nonpartisan in a Facebook post.
Nothing on the Colorado-based artist’s website or Facebook page is partisan. And while Trump accused Boardman of making him look much worse than his predecessors, her portraits of Barack Obama and George W. Bush are also a tad jowly:
President Obama, 20 x 24 inches, oil on canvas. This was a commission by the State of Denver, and hangs in the State Capitol Building, Rotunda (3rd floor) Gallery of Presidents.
Posted by Sarah A. Boardman, Portraits on Thursday, April 5, 2012
The speeches at the unveiling of Trump’s portrait on August 1, 2019 emphasized unity and bipartisanship. Boardman said she was striving to make Trump look “neutral.”
“My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not mad, not tweeting,” she said, drawing chuckles from the audience.
“And the reason for that is because in today’s environment it’s all very up front. But in five, 10, 15, 20 years, he will be another president on the wall with his own historical background and he needs to look neutral,” she continued.
Great Day, Great Event! Enjoy!
Posted by Sarah A. Boardman, Portraits on Sunday, August 4, 2019
Ironically, during the same event, the Republican state senator who spearheaded the portrait project, Kevin Grantham, said that regardless of political party, the unveiling “reminds us of the ideals we hold so dear as Americans.”
“In 2019 there are still nations across this globe that are led by those who rule simply by the force and fear they command. Leaders that do not allow dissent and do not allow critique,” he said. “Whether this portrait bring a smile or a scowl to your face, remember that you have the right to do so because this is the United States of America.”
Well, that America was nice while it lasted!
