'Distorted' Donald Trump portrait removed from Colorado Capitol
Trump, Vance presidential portraits unveiled
The Trump Transition Team has unveiled the official portraits for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
LOS ANGELES - A painting of Donald Trump is no longer hanging at the Colorado state Capitol following the president’s complaints that the portrait was "purposefully distorted." Trump shared his dissatisfaction in a Truth Social post over the weekend, prompting Republican lawmakers to request the artwork be taken down.
The oil painting had been on display since 2019 after Colorado Republicans raised more than $10,000 to commission it. By Tuesday morning, it had been quietly removed from the wall where portraits of other U.S. presidents are displayed.
Why was Trump's portrait removed from the Colorado Capitol?
The backstory:
Trump posted on Truth Social that he would prefer "no picture at all" to the one displayed at the Capitol, accusing the artist of distorting his image. Ironically, he praised the artist’s portrait of former President Barack Obama, which was painted by the same person, Sarah Boardman.
Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, responded to Trump’s remarks by asking the state to remove the portrait and replace it with one that "depicts his contemporary likeness."
Democrats did not oppose the request, saying, "If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them."
What do we know about the artist and the painting’s history?
Timeline:
The portrait was first installed in 2019 after Colorado Republicans raised funds for its creation. Prior to its debut, it made headlines when a prankster placed a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin near the intended location for Trump’s painting.
A portrait of president Donald Trump hangs on a wall in the rotunda on the third floor of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Colorado on March 24, 2025. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Artist Sarah Boardman previously told the Colorado Times Recorder that her intention was to portray Trump as "nonconfrontational" and "thoughtful," aiming for an apolitical image that could withstand political shifts. Her depiction received mixed reactions at the time for softening Trump's public persona.
Boardman did not respond to recent phone and email requests for comment.
What’s next for the Capitol display?
What's next:
Republicans have not yet announced how they will fund a replacement portrait or who will paint it. The responsibility for presidential portraits at the Colorado Capitol falls to the Colorado Building Advisory Committee, not the governor’s office.
Portraits of presidents up through Jimmy Carter were originally donated as a collection. Subsequent ones have typically been funded by political parties or private donations.
The Source: This report is based on original reporting from the Associated Press, which covered the removal of Donald Trump’s portrait from the Colorado Capitol and his public reaction to the artwork. Additional historical context and artist comments were referenced from a past interview with the Colorado Times Recorder.