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White House Moves Obama Portrait To Make Room For New One Of Trump - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland 1a2z4x

White House Moves Obama Portrait To Make Room For New One Of Trump (21597 Views)

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God1000(m): 7:47am On Apr 14
The Trump istration said on Friday that it had moved a portrait of former President Barack Obama in a White House hallway and replaced it with a pop-art painting of President Trump pumping his fist after the assassination attempt last year on the campaign trail in Butler, Pa.

The shuffling of décor is not uncommon at the White House, where portraits are rotated often. But the new, striking artwork depicting Mr. Trump drew criticism from some presidential historians, who could not recall another president hanging a painting of himself during his term in the White House.

Typically, paintings of presidents and first ladies are hung in the White House after they have left office, historians said.

A spokesman for Mr. Obama declined to comment

The portrait of Mr. Obama, which was unveiled in the East Room during the istration of President Joseph R. Biden Jr., shows the former president in a dark suit and silver tie, standing with his hands in his pockets. The background is white; the portrait was based on photographs taken by the artist Robert McCurdy.

The new painting shows Mr. Trump embraced by a team of Secret Service agents as an American flag billows in a cloudless blue sky behind him. Streaks of red run across his face.

The artwork depicts a scene similar to still images taken after a would-be assassin fired at Mr. Trump, hitting him in his ear, during a campaign speech in Pennsylvania in July. The words uttered by a defiant Mr. Trump after the shooting — “Fight! Fight! Fight!” — became a rally cry for his ers.

The painting of Mr. Trump is on a wall opposite from Mr. Obama’s, the White House said, adding that Mr. Trump’s was placed in the spot for the newest presidential portrait.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement that the “executive mansion is the president’s home, and he has the right to make changes as other presidents have in the past.”

“President Trump decided to temporarily display this painting, which represents a pivotal moment in history when he nearly lost his life,” she added. “Only The New York Times would find a problem with this.”

Ted Widmer, a presidential historian at the City University of New York and a former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, said he was surprised to see the new artwork.

“It just seems tacky,” Mr. Widmer said. “It feels different from our tradition of venerating the distinguished holders of the office from both parties — and going in a new direction of walking around looking at images of yourself all day long.”


But Julian E. Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton, said the move fit into a pattern.

In the second term, it’s not just winning the White House,” Mr. Zelizer said of Mr. Trump. “He’s always had intense animosity for President Obama, all the way back to the early 2010s. And I think this time around, he really wants to show that he has — in his mind — supplanted him.”

Barbara A. Perry, a presidential studies professor at the University of Virginia, said she found the style of the painting, with blood on Mr. Trump’s face, particularly “odd.”

Can you imagine Gerald Ford having a portrait painted of himself ducking?” Ms. Perry said of an assassination attempt against Ford, the 38th president, in 1975. She added, “This would be viewed as lacking in taste in days gone by.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/trump-obama-portrait-assassination.html?smid=fb-nytimes

3 Likes

God1000(m): 7:47am On Apr 14
They may move the portrait, but they can never erase Obama’s intellect, elegance, moral integrity, and most importantly, the two dignified he served with utmost grace and distinction.

As hard as trump tries, he won't be able to replace history. He's already in the history books as the worst president. He should be proud of that. He broke a record.

The assassination attempt was all a hoax.

107 Likes 21 Shares

Peterpaul96: 8:53am On Apr 14
H

1 Like

benuejosh: 8:54am On Apr 14
If this was Nigeria...,

2 Likes

helinues: 8:54am On Apr 14
Trump is petty sha

84 Likes 4 Shares

akinmusi(m): 8:55am On Apr 14
Trump it childlike

Maitunbi:

That is what attracts him to Putin. Both of them have complexes.

Is there actually genuine love besides this stated fact of yours?

Just personal interests.

10 Likes 3 Shares

cenaman(m): 8:55am On Apr 14
Donald Trump on the beat

1 Like

ARISHEM: 8:55am On Apr 14
Pave way for Trump the con artist. cool

14 Likes 1 Share

bennybuhari: 8:56am On Apr 14
No wonder Michelled boycotted his inauguration

9 Likes 1 Share

yinchar(m): 8:56am On Apr 14
Unbelievable

Yet some people still Trump

11 Likes 4 Shares

bennybuhari: 8:56am On Apr 14
Not good enough. Bad politics

7 Likes

saintkel(m): 8:56am On Apr 14
I just don't like Obama sha....

1 Like 1 Share

dibunotion(m): 8:56am On Apr 14
This is a M.A.G.A. achievement

2 Likes

saintkel(m): 8:56am On Apr 14
Trump my nigga

2 Likes

MaziObinnaokija: 8:56am On Apr 14
sad INSANE PEOPLE grin cool cheesy

5 Likes 2 Shares

Iweakbro: 8:56am On Apr 14
If being petty was a human being lol.

8 Likes 2 Shares

ednut1(m): 8:57am On Apr 14
God1000:
They may move the portrait, but they can never erase Obama’s intellect, elegance, moral integrity, and most importantly, the two dignified he served with utmost grace and distinction.

As hard as trump tries, he won't be able to replace history. He's already in the history books as the worst president. He should be proud of that. He broke a record.

The assassination attempt was all a hoax.
same obama that tried to blackmail Africa to legalize lgbt? Same guy that took out Ghadaffi leading to arms smuggling to Nigeria and the sahel, same guy that funded isis. Abeg abeg🤡

77 Likes 2 Shares

Pusyiter(m): 8:57am On Apr 14
Forget Obama and what he represents
Let history be the judge of both of them
The focus should be your country and what their leaders represent
angry
God1000:
They may move the portrait, but they can never erase Obama’s intellect, elegance, moral integrity, and most importantly, the two dignified he served with utmost grace and distinction.

As hard as trump tries, he won't be able to replace history. He's already in the history books as the worst president. He should be proud of that. He broke a record.

The assassination attempt was all a hoax.

13 Likes

Pastoshizzy(m): 8:57am On Apr 14
Wetin consyn me or any Naija person for that matter.
When dem change Goodluck picture how e take affect everything na him we wan know?

1 Like

DoctorAyukebot(m): 8:57am On Apr 14
R
ehikwe22: 8:58am On Apr 14
God1000:
They may move the portrait, but they can never erase Obama’s intellect, elegance, moral integrity, and most importantly, the two dignified he served with utmost grace and distinction.

As hard as trump tries, he won't be able to replace history. He's already in the history books as the worst president. He should be proud of that. He broke a record.

The assassination attempt was all a hoax.

Intellect on how to destroy lives of millions of people. Destroy whole countries. Single handedly Destroyed africa and the middle east. He's responsible for this calamity Nigeria is facing right now

19 Likes 1 Share

DoctorAyukebot(m): 8:58am On Apr 14
Pusyiter:
Forget Obama and what he represented
Let history be the judge of both of them
The focus should be your country and what their leaders represent
angry

The focus as defined by?
ddippset(m): 8:58am On Apr 14
This POTUS na agbero.
He will do well as a Nigerian President.
DrAda(f): 8:59am On Apr 14
Lol. Zero class. Well, let's at least give thanks that Obama's portrait didn't trigger another tariff-sharing induced mania

4 Likes

ecomalchemisttt: 8:59am On Apr 14
Ok
EdiskyHarry: 8:59am On Apr 14
Na their Wahalla
ObaKlaz: 8:59am On Apr 14
It's just a portrait, no hard feelings. Besides, the Trump portrait is more iconic, minding what birthed it. Has more significance and strong messages than the bland portrait of Hussein, the LGBTQ rights ex-president.

5 Likes

Riverplates: 8:59am On Apr 14
Donald Trump's the Man of the people.no doubts

2 Likes

Mitsurugi(m): 9:00am On Apr 14
Ibas solo did worse to the portrait of a democratically elected governor. No news here angry
Skillsnigeria: 9:01am On Apr 14
Hmmm
LordReed(m): 9:01am On Apr 14

1 Like

chidi2003(m): 9:01am On Apr 14
God1000:
They may move the portrait, but they can never erase Obama’s intellect, elegance, moral integrity, and most importantly, the two dignified he served with utmost grace and distinction.

As hard as trump tries, he won't be able to replace history. He's already in the history books as the worst president. He should be proud of that. He broke a record.


The assassination attempt was all a hoax.
Do you know that - the catastrophe - Obama created in Libya, is still hurting Africa till date?

6 Likes 1 Share

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