'Truly the worst': Trump upset about his 'distorted' presidential portrait

Sharing his thoughts on Truth Social, Trump said the artist did Obama's portrait 'wonderfully' but portrayed him in 'truly the worst' way

US President Donald Trump on Monday expressed outrage over a five-year-old presidential portrait of him at the State Capitol in Colorado, calling it “truly the worst” and accusing the artist of “purposefully distorting” his image.

 

Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to slam the artwork by artist Sarah Boardman, which has been displayed in the Colorado Capitol since 2019.

 

The artist had also created the Capitol’s portrait of former President Barack Obama.

 

“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves,” Trump wrote in his post. “The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older. In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.”  ALSO READ | 'I'll pay it out of my own pocket': Trump on Nasa astronauts' overtime fee

 

 

The 78-year-old added that many people from Colorado had called and written to complain about the portrait, which he urged Governor Jared Polis to take down. “Jared should be ashamed of himself!” he wrote.

 

 

In a statement to Denver-based 9NEWS, a spokesperson for Polis said the governor 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,” the spokesperson said. “We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our Capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”  ALSO READ | Trump's second term sees mounting challenges for US news industry

 

After making his statement, Trump shared both his first-term presidential portrait and his current portrait on Truth Social.

 

According to media reports, Colorado Republicans raised more than $10,000 through a GoFundMe campaign in 2018 to commission the oil painting by Boardman.