President Donald Trump is not holding back when it comes to his portrait at the Colorado State Capitol.
He’s now demanding that ‘radical left’ Democratic Governor Jared Polis remove the artwork, which currently hangs alongside portraits of other U.S. presidents.
Trump’s frustration was clear as he took to TruthSocial, saying, “Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves.”
”Purposefully distorted”
Donald Trump knows how important it is to be portrayed in the ‘right’ way – he has also said that he’s a ‘wonderful-looking man’.
However, he’s not as pleased with one particular depiction, especially a portrait by Sarah Boardman that hangs in the Colorado State Capitol. The president is demanding that ”Radical Left” Democratic Governor Jared Polis remove the painting, which hangs alongside portraits of other U.S. presidents.
He went on to say that the painting was ”purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.”
Truth Social
Trump took aim at the artist, Sarah Boardman, noting that she had previously painted former President Obama during his time in office, and had done a good job.
”He looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social and added:
”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.”
Has been hanging there since 2019
Trump added that ”many people from Colorado have called and written to complain” about the unflattering artwork.
”They are actually angry about it! I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime, in particular with respect to Tren de Aragua, which practically took over Aurora (Don’t worry, we saved it!), to take it down. Jared should be ashamed of himself,” Trump said.
What’s a bit odd is that Trump is bringing up the portrait now, even though it has been hanging in the building since 2019, during his first term in the White House.
The artist behind the painting, Sarah Boardman, a British-born artist based in Colorado Springs, was also commissioned to paint former President George W. Bush in 2012. Boardman also painted the portrait of Barack Obama, following the death of Lawrence Williams, the artist who had painted all 43 previous presidential portraits, in 2003.
When the portrait was first unveiled in August 2019, Boardman shared images of her work on her professional Facebook page, calling it a “great day.”
Getty Images
“My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not tweeting,” Boardman said at the time. “In five, 10, 15, 20 years, he will be another President on the wall who is only historical background, and he needs to look neutral.”
She added, ”Please remain respectful – this is about portraiture, not politics.”
A spokesperson for Governor Polis responded, saying he was “surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork,” in a statement to Politico.
“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 continued. “We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our Capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”