Donald Trump has replaced a “purposefully distorted” portrait of himself hanging in Denver with one given his personal tick of approval.
In March, Trump called the original portrait, by Sarah Boardman “truly the worst” and wrote on Truth Social, “I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.”
It was removed the day after he aired his complaints, despite having been in place since 2019.
Now, a new and approved portrait of the president has graced the Colorado state capital. On Tuesday, Trump posted, “Thank you to the Highly Talented Artist, Vanessa Horabuena, and the incredible people of Colorado — Now on display in the Colorado State Capitol!”
According to the Guardian, Trump demanded that the new artwork feature a gold border to “glimmer” and catch the light. It has similarities to Trump’s official inaugural portrait that was dubbed the “supervillain pic of the year” for its likeness to the president’s infamous mugshot.
The White House gifted the Capitol the artwork by Christian worship artist Horabuena, who has painted portraits of Trump in the past, as well as Abraham Lincoln, Bob Marley and Jesus Christ.
Last week, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee agreed the new Trump-friendly artwork could go up. Lois Court, a former state lawmaker, chairs the committee who assist in selecting art for the Capitol in downtown Denver. It has now been installed in the third-floor gallery of the Colorado Capitol.
“There was a blank on the wall. It seemed inappropriate. We knew that the White House had sent us this replacement and it simply made sense to put it up,” Court said.
Following Trump’s comments, Boardman said her business had suffered. He praised her portrait of Barack Obama as he “looked wonderful”, but stated the artist “must have lost her talent as she got older.”
Boardman said, “President Trump is entitled to comment freely, as we all are, but the additional allegations that I ‘purposefully distorted’ the portrait, and that I ‘must have lost my talent as I got older’ are now directly and negatively impacting my business of over 41 years which now is in danger of not recovering.”
She added, “I completed the portrait accurately, without ‘purposeful distortion,’ political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject, actual or implied. I fulfilled the task per my contract.”
In May, an artwork that brings Donald Trump, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan together was hung in the West Wing.
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