Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump has relocated the official portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush to a little-used White House stairwell largely hidden from public view, according to a CNN report.
Obama’s portrait was moved to the top of the Grand Staircase, an area off-limits to the public and accessible only to the first family, certain executive residence staff and Secret Service agents. Both Bush portraits were placed in the same location.
A photograph obtained by CNN shows Obama’s portrait in a corner of the stairwell landing that leads to the private residence. The picture had previously hung across from the Grand Foyer, a prominent location along the public tour route. In April, it was replaced with a painting depicting Trump surviving an assassination attempt last year in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The relocation is notable because presidential portraits are traditionally displayed in visible, prestigious locations in the White House as a gesture of respect for the office’s history, regardless of political differences. Trump’s decision breaks from that custom and comes amid his longstanding disputes with all three former presidents.
Former President Joe Biden’s official portrait has yet to be completed.
Trump has repeatedly accused Obama and members of his administration of committing treason during the 2016 election, allegations Obama’s office has dismissed as “outrageous” and “bizarre.”
The White House has not publicly commented on the portrait relocations or the decision to replace Obama’s portrait with the Butler painting.
Trump’s White House has also seen other remodeling changes. The Wall Street Journal reported in April that the president brought in his Mar-a-Lago cabinetmaker, John Icart, known as his “gold guy,” to incorporate gold accents throughout the White House. The additions included gilded carvings on the Oval Office fireplace mantel, a gold Trump crest in a doorway, and gold coasters bearing his name.
Trump also had the White House Rose Garden lawn, first installed during President John F. Kennedy’s administration, paved over. He has announced plans to expand the complex with a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
