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A PORTRAIT OF Donald Trump that he said was “purposefully distorted” has been removed from a wall at the Colorado state capitol where it had been since 2019.
After Trump posted complaints about the painting on his Truth Social platform, Colorado Senate minority leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, asked that it be taken down and replaced with one that “depicts his contemporary likeness”.
Colorado Republicans had raised more than $10,000 (€9,200) to commission the oil painting.
By this morning, the portrait was no longer hanging next to those of other US presidents.
Democrats in the Legislature did not object to the painting’s removal.
“If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them,” they said in a statement.
Republicans have not said how they will pay for a new portrait or who might paint it.
In his post on social media on Sunday, Trump had said he would prefer no picture at all over the one at the Colorado capitol.
He praised the “wonderful” portrait of former US president Barack Obama, which was painted by the same artist, but dubbed his “truly the worst”.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the state Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote.
The presidential portraits are not the purview of the Colorado governor’s office, but the Colorado Building Advisory Committee.
The ones up to and including president Jimmy Carter were donated as a collection. The others were donated by political parties or paid for by outside fundraising.
It was not the first time the portrait of Trump has drawn attention. Before its installation, a prankster placed a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin near the spot intended for Trump.
Some people initially objected to artist Sarah Boardman’s depiction of Trump as “non-confrontational” and “thoughtful” when they considered him just the opposite, according to an interview with Colorado Times Recorder from the time.
She told the newspaper that she wanted to create a likeness that was apolitical and would stand the test of time.
Boardman did not return phone and email messages today seeking comment.
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Trump really is the ultimate snowflake.
@honey badger: Nonsense. Chap looks like a proper Rambo. You know what you are… what you’re made of. War is in your blood. Don’t fight it, Don.
@honey badger: And OF COURSE he had to mention Obama! Talk about rent free. He is still obsessed with him. Pretty obvious it’s the fact Obama is better looking and about a thousand times more literate and eloquent, so he’s on the hate list, natch. I’ve never seen an adult of his age fail so miserably at managing their jealousy. You’re 79 soon dude, grow up!
@honey badger: The painting is a children’s painting why not just give it back and get something decent done.
@SerotoninWars: Not so eloquently literate yourself. No matter. We’ll always have Barack. Alhamdulillah.
@honey badger:
They made him a lot better than he actually is.
He should be so lucky.
He’s very sensitive. Having a meltdown over his profile picture days after his war strike that took the lives of 5 children.
@Housing Hunger Games: I’d never defend Trump, but it’s notable that there’s been effectively zero interest in the Yemen conflict between Saudi and Iranian backed forces that has caused the deaths of ~400,000 from war, famine and disease. No marches, no protests, no rallies.
@honey badger: Organise a March yourself.
@honey badger: where did u get 400k?
@Housing Hunger Games:
He made little of President Biden who he constantly referred to as sleepy Joe.
Has he looked in the mirror recently.
His eyes have the appearance of being half closed,looks very dozey ,and barely with it.
He needs to look in a mirror, the portrait makes him look better than reality. Probably the shade of orange required hasn’t been invented yet.
@Dermot Blaine: I thought that too, I think he looks great in it… We are never happy
@Buster Lawless: The phrase is, pretty useless.
Wasn’t orange enough.
Needs to be Annoying Orange orange.
@Kieran Menon: Oompa Loompa orange
@Kieran Menon: A portrait of a President while he is president makes sense. Sell the old one.
Trump *is* distorted though. As is his understanding of the law, truth and facts.
‘Purposefully distorted’. trump would know all about that alright!
What sort of woman is Melania giving herself to that ogre. Women’s will never progress while women like her exist. A true enemy within.
@Argus Romsworth: “So, Melania, what first attracted you to ‘billionaire’ Donald Trump?”
@honey badger: Settle down girls, jealousy will get you nowhere.
@Argus Romsworth: The answer to your question, y(our first sentence) is within that sentence.
@Eric Gaffney: He won’t ride ya, Eric, etc.
@Argus Romsworth: Melanie is high maintenance.
And is this really going to draw attention away from the debacle of a journalist present for a discussion of imminent military action?
He does look a bit pale in it alright.
You can’t paint someone who has a multiplicity of faces.
Just leave it in a bucket of club orange overnight and it should be right.
He is a delicate petal.
That portrait reminds me of the footage of Trump dejectedly walking from the presidential helicopter back to the White House. This was after his first rally during Covid. I thought he looked healthier in that footage than normal. Then it hit me that, because it was night and there wasn’t much artificial light, I couldn’t see his orange face paint. He can’t complain about any artistic or photography image of him, when he looks the way he does: clinically obese, ludicrous comb over, cheap tan and block head.
Less demonic in this painting than he appears in the others.
He’s some pillock!
Looks like he’s just out of root canal
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear
Looks more like Hillary than the Don to be fair
@Paul: hard to see with all the text across it ! Useless pic from journal again
@Karen Marten: Just tap the photo to see it without text.
@John Drohan: ha looked better with all text across it
This is a non-issue really. Trump doesn’t like an unflattering portrait of him, it gets taken down. It’s childish by Trump to kick up a fuss over a painting but at least both Republicans and Democrats in Colorado didn’t waste legislative time bickering over whether to remove it or not. Barack Obama’s painting is much nicer and Trump is right to point that out. The simple solution is for Trump to pay an artist that he prefers to paint him a portrait that can be hung up in the Denver Rotunda. Then Democrats don’t have to foot the bill and Trump gets a much better painting of himself.
Hahaha what a baby, thought he would be too busy “Saving” AmErICA
The comments on this article are a perfect illustration of why reasoned and reasonable debate on topics and issues are virtually impossible in 2025.
People spewing bile about Trump over something that each and every person should easily be able to understand and relate to themselves.
There is nobody in the modern world that hasn’t experienced having a photo or selfie taken, and either thinking or saying, that makes me look absolutely awful, don’t share that, please delete it, or they have deleted it themselves.
Equally none us has every said in those circumstances, you know what would be really great, If that horrendously awful photo was made into a large oil painting and put on display on a wall in a really public setting for all the world to see..
@Dvsespaña: Nah, mate. You’re missing the point. It speaks to the character, or lack thereof, of Trump. He’s a narcissist. You have to weigh things up in their entirety. Look at his reaction to the major security breach by one of his top advisors. He called it a “glitch” and then bashed the Atlantic as a publication. Zero accountability. He’s an ugly person, through and through. Look at the position he has given to the unelected Elmo Musk. Elmo essentially bought that position by donating 270 billion to Trump’s campaign. That’s an oligarch move. This all paints a picture of the the most powerful man in the world and it’s a rather disgusting portrait.
@Iano C: Thanks for proving my point.
@Dvsespaña: You didn’t make a point. You drew a weak comparison between bad selfies and discourse online. That somehow we should be able to relate to Trump because we would feel the same about a bad pic of ourselves. Surface level, at best. Zoom out and look at the man by his actions. Actions that impact the entire world.
@Dvsespaña:
Problem is ,if Trump was presented with a picture in his true likeness, he would deny it was him,and put them in prison.
Narcissists can’t see their flaws.
Hes spot on
He’s not orange enough
Josh homme has let himself go
@David Comerford: aah David,no need for that.
He’s a FOI ol for not liking it, he’s got hair in this one!!!
Well, in all fairness, the portrait looks like the lovechild of Alex Baldwin and Phil Glenister …
Paid for and put up by Republicans but of course the Liar in Cheif accuses the Democrats. What a snowflake and hypocritical liar
The real portrait is in some attic just like the portrait of dorian gray.
Very little Orange in that picture
The painting makes him look like Alan Partridge after going wild on the Toblerones
The painting, his own supporters commissioned blended his face makeup into his hair line too well. Unlike in real life where he looks like his makeup is done by a blind person.
This is, simply, an overt act of totalitarianism by Trumptrash. It is one of many wedges being slowly driven into American liberties by a rap it’s
It’s not orange enough and he dosent have his smug chin stuck out
Color his hair black and he’d look like that Korean lad kim jong un. lol
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