President Trump is blasting a portrait of himself as “the worst” and has demanded that Colorado Gov. Jared Polis remove the unflattering painting from the state house.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado …. was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “(It) is truly the worst.”
Trump trashed Polis, a moderate Democrat, as “radical left” and “weak on crime,” suggesting that he installed the portrait to embarrass a political rival.
“Jared should be ashamed of himself,” Trump added.
The president, who frequently posts flattering images and paintings of himself, said the Colorado portrait compares unfavorably to a similar one that artist Sarah Boardman painted of former President Barack Obama.
“The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful,” Trump wrote. “She must have lost her talent as she got older.”
A Polis spokesperson did not respond to the calls to replace the portrait with a more attractive one, noting that the governor was “surprised to learn the president of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado state capitol and its artwork.”
“We appreciate the president and everyone’s interest in our capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience,” the Polis spokesperson said.
Ironically the portrait was installed after pro-Trump Republican State Sen. Kevin Grantham raised $10,000 from MAGA supporters to commission it from Boardman, who is British born but lives in Colorado Springs.
After getting Grantham’s stamp of approval, the painting was put up at a 2019 ceremony.
“Whether this portrait brings a smile or scowl to your face, remember you have the right to do so because this is the United States of America,” Grantham told a local television station at the time.
It’s not clear what sparked Trump’s sudden interest in removing or replacing the portrait, although he mentioned in the post that he has received complaints from his supporters in Colorado.
