President Trump has blasted a portrait of him hanging in the Colorado Capitol as “purposefully distorted” and demands it be removed.
The portrait - which the 78-year-old POTUS has taken issue with - was painted by Colorado Springs artist Sarah Boardman and has been hanging in the Capitol since 2019.
It hangs in the third-floor rotunda alongside portraits of other US presidents and was commissioned after former Colorado Senate President Kevin Grantham, a Republican, raised the necessary funds.
Boardman - who also painted President Obama’s portrait for the gallery - told the Denver Post at the time that her goal was to keep both depictions politically neutral.
“In today’s environment it’s all very upfront, but in another five, 10, 15 years he will be another president on the wall,” she said, cited by The New York Post. “And he needs to look neutral.”
But over the weekend, Trump took to Truth Social in a rage, slamming the portrait as a deliberate hit job.
“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,” he wrote.
He also took a shot at the artist personally, comparing his image to Obama’s.
“The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older,” he said.
The president said he’s been getting complaints from people in the state and claimed they’re furious over how he’s portrayed.
"In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain," he said, “In fact, 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,” he wrote.
“Jared should be ashamed of himself!” he concluded.
Governor Polis, meanwhile, didn’t appear rattled by the outburst. His office responded with a jab of its own.
“Gov. Polis was surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork,” a spokesperson said.
“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," he 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," he added.