Donald Trump doesn’t have a historical legacy, per se. He’s initiated landmark removals and recontextualizations of art and exhibits at the Smithsonian, Denver art museum and now the Colorado state capitol to affect how he will be remembered. His actions reflect an ongoing effort to reshape the public perception of events such as the Capitol riot and his presidency overall.
Perhaps most famously, in one incident Trump publicly berated a portrait of himself that had found its way into the Colorado state capitol. For one, he termed it “purposefully distorted” and “honestly the worst.” Just a few weeks after his complaint, they managed to put up a new portrait—one of him. This move underscores Trump’s desire for control over how he is depicted in public spaces.
In a broader initiative, Trump added a “Presidential Walk of Fame” to the exterior of the White House, featuring portraits of all previous commanders-in-chief except for Joe Biden. Instead of Biden’s portrait, Trump installed a photo illustrating an autopen signing Biden’s name. This is a victory for Trump’s bad faith arguments. Instead, he claims, Biden isn’t doing anything and nobody’s making decisions or signing bills over at the White House.
At the Smithsonian though, the story of Trump’s portrait was still just beginning to unfold. The earlier portrait revealed his moodiness. It further insisted on important milestones during his first term, including appointing three Supreme Court justices and creating COVID-19 vaccines. The new version did supplant the old one, but its caption is super short. To this day, you can still see the outline of the previous sign on the wall, which was only ever updated to include Trump’s years in office.
In March, President Trump signed an executive order preventing the Smithsonian from spending any of its money on any of its projects. This whole endeavor appears to be just one piece of a larger plan to control the story of his administration.
Concetta Duncan, a spokeswoman for the gallery, indicated that the museum is “exploring” less descriptive “tombstone labels” for some new exhibits and displays. This change in labeling would play right into Trump’s fondness for narrative.
His influence over these artistic representations has been a flash point. He’s long been unhappy with Kim Sajet, the gallery’s director. He called her a “highly partisan person” and a “strong supporter of DEI,” casting enough shadows on her qualifications for the post. In May, Trump mentioned that he’d let Sajet go over these imagined prejudices.
Moving forward through history, we are still figuring out in real-time how effective Trump’s attempts at legacy-building will be. Those actions reveal an iron will to set the terms of his legacy. He wants to shape public perception during the key moments of his presidency.