By Mead Gruver, The Associated Press
A portrait of Donald Trump that he said was “purposefully distorted” was 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 to commission the oil painting.
By Tuesday morning, the portrait was no longer hanging next to those of other U.S. 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 portrait of former President Barack Obama, which was painted by the same artist.
“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 wasn’t 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 “nonconfrontational” 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 Monday and Tuesday seeking comment.
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Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming.