About the decision to replace former US President Barack Obama’s portrait with that of Donald Trump’s viral ‘fist pump’ depicting artwork, the White House in a statement said, ‘President Trump has the right to make changes as other presidents have in the past.’
The Trump administration has decided to replace the portrait of former President Barack Obama in a White House hallway with US President Donald Trump’s pop-art painting, which shows him pumping his fist after he narrowly escaped the assassination attempt last year on the campaign trail in Butler, Pa. While the shuffling of portraits is not a new practice, some presidential historians have raised questions over the latest move, claiming they could not recall another president, apart from Trump, hanging a painting of himself.
When was Obama’s portrait installed?
The portrait of Obama was installed during the presidency of Joe Biden, which shows the former president in a dark suit and silver tie as he stands with his hands in his pocket.
Obama’s portrait went on display in the foyer on the State Floor, near the staircase to the presidential residence, after it was unveiled in 2022.
How does the new artwork look?
The new portrait shows Trump surrounded by a team of his security team with an American flag and cloudless blue sky in the background.
The artwork is similar to photos taken after an assassination attempt on Trump as a bullet hit him in the ear while campaigning in Pennsylvania last July. Defiant Trump rose after being hit and uttered ““Fight! Fight! Fight!”, and it was widely used as a rally cry for his supporters.
Here’s what White House said
In a statement, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said, “The executive mansion is the president’s home, and he has the right to make changes as other presidents have in the past.”
She added, “President Trump decided to temporarily display this painting, which represents a pivotal moment in history when he nearly lost his life.”
The Trump portrait was hung without advance notice, which is unusual — though Trump’s position is unique in that he is both the current and a former president.
That’s a situation the US hasn’t seen since Grover Cleveland served non-consecutive terms in the 1880s and 1890s. Then-President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, welcomed former President Obama and his wife, Michelle, to the White House for the unveiling of Obama’s portrait in 2022.
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