Not all state capitols have a collection of presidential portraits, but Colorado is proud to be one that does. Now, however, President Donald Trump wants his portrait removed,
Time reports.
“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 posted on Truth Social on Sunday night. “I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.”
Trump said that “many people” from Colorado have complained about the portrait to him: “In fact, they are actually angry about it!” He added that he’s contacted Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis (whom Trump called a “Radical Left Governor” who is “extremely weak on Crime”) to take the portrait down. “Jared should be ashamed of himself!” Trump concluded.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office told Denver news outlet 9News that Gov. Polis 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 reality is it wasn’t Polis who commissioned the Trump portrait in the first place - nor any political opponent of the President. And it’s actually been up for years. Here’s what to know.
Funding for the portraits in the Colorado State Capitol typically comes from private donations collected by Colorado Citizens for Culture, a grassroots organization supporting the arts in the state. During Trump’s first term, the group needed to raise $10,000 to commission a portrait of him, but in 2018, the organization’s president Jay Seller said not a single donation had come in.
In July that year, a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin was displayed on an easel in front of the empty spot where Trump’s portrait was expected to hang, after a member of nonprofit progressive advocacy organization ProgressNow Colorado snuck in. Katie March, the Democratic legislative staffer who swiped in the activist had her security clearances stripped and faced disciplinary action. “We hope that public awareness has been raised over the danger of Russian influence over the President of the United States,” ProgressNow Colorado’s executive director Ian Silverii told 9News. “Next time we’ll use the front door.”
