Colorado Legislature to Remove Trump Portrait After President Criticizes It as "Ugly"
Colorado lawmakers have decided to take down a portrait of President Donald Trump from the state Capitol following his public criticism of the artwork, calling it “ugly” and claiming it misrepresented him.
On March 24, Democratic lawmakers in the Colorado House confirmed that the painting would be removed at the request of Republican legislators, and stored in a secure location “until further notice.”
“If Republicans want to spend their time and money figuring out which portrait of Trump should hang in the Capitol, that’s their choice,” a spokesperson for House Democrats said.
The move came a day after President Trump took to his social media platform to slam the portrait, claiming it had been “deliberately distorted.” He wrote, “I'd rather have no portrait at all than that ugly one,” and claimed many Colorado residents had called state officials demanding it be taken down.
Trump also targeted Colorado Governor Jared Polis, saying, “Jared should be ashamed of himself,” despite the fact that the portrait was commissioned in 2018—before Polis, a Democrat, assumed office. The governor did not attend the painting’s unveiling ceremony, which took place months into his term.
A Six-Year-Old Painting Sparks New Controversy
The portrait was commissioned by Republican state senator Kevin Grantham after a $10,000 crowdfunding campaign, ensuring Trump would be represented in the Capitol alongside other former presidents. The artist, Sarah Boardman, a respected painter in her 70s, was selected to create the piece. She also painted the portrait of former President Barack Obama, which Trump himself admitted looked “much better.”
Despite being displayed for six years with little controversy, the painting drew renewed attention after Trump’s recent online post. Crowds of visitors flocked to the Capitol over the weekend to take photos with the portrait before its removal.
It’s unclear why Trump took notice of the painting now, but he speculated that the artist’s skills may have "declined with age." Boardman has not commented on the criticism or the portrait's removal. In a 2019 interview, she said she aimed to create nonpartisan portraits that honored the office of the presidency.
Lawmakers and Artist Defend the Work
Senator Grantham, who commissioned the painting, defended the artist and the intention behind the portrait.
“The goal was never to glorify any one person—it was to honor the presidency itself,” he said, noting that omitting any president from the Capitol would be a disservice to Colorado’s citizens.
Still, he acknowledged Trump’s wishes and supported the decision to take the portrait down. “I can understand why someone wouldn’t want an unflattering image of themselves hanging for future generations,” Grantham said. “The President feels the same.”
The Trump portrait had been hung on a Capitol wall that previously gained notoriety when a prankster once replaced a presidential portrait with one of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(Reported by AP, The Hill)
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