Just ask former President Donald Trump, who recently complained about a flattering portrait of him hanging in the Texas State Capitol. This portrait now hangs in Colorado’s state capitol building. A Republican delegation commissioned the portrait back in 2019. As former Republican state senator Josh McGee explained, that’s why he crowdfunded the 132-page long report. Trump took to his Truth Social platform to voice his displeasure, alleging without evidence that the portrait had been "purposefully distorted."
The debate over the portrait first flared up in 2018. That’s because Capitol staff took it down once a radical liberal political activist decided to prominently display a huge portrait of Vladimir Putin in its stead. At the time, Trump publicly blamed Colorado Governor Jared Polis for the portrait, calling him “radically left.” A spokesperson for Polis later told KUSA that the governor had no involvement in commissioning the painting. They further exonerated him because he was not personally responsible for its placement.
Trump's statement, "I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one," highlighted his discontent with the portrait. Trump articulated his grievances in patriotic fashion, taking to Twitter with a .png of the image. He compared it to individual pictures of himself that he deemed more attractive. Though legitimate in his criticisms, public commentators mocked Trump even when he called for the removal of his own portrait.
The portrait that became the center of controversy was never shown during Trump’s presidency, which started in 2017. It was commissioned by a Trump-supporting Republican mega-donor, with the intent to memorialize his presidency.
In response to the painting, Trump went on the warpath against his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. To that end, he audaciously claimed that Obama “looks amazing” in his own portrait hanging at the Colorado capitol. What prompted Trump’s unexpected explosion of outrage is anyone’s guess.