The Art of the Deal: We've Got Just the Spot for Donald Trump's Portrait

The night that Donald Trump's complaints over his "purposely distorted" portrait in the Colorado State Capitol went global, the painting was quietly removed by History Colorado and stored in a secure out-of-sight spot.

But that's a mistake. It should be on full display, given the treatment of the soldier who was toppled from "On Guard," the Civil War monument in front of the Capitol, on June 25, 2020, during the George Floyd protests.

For the past four-plus years, that soldier, in all its graffitied glory, has stood by the stairs on the first floor of the History Colorado Center, surrounded by photographs and explanatory notes from historians and others that put the conflict and the controversy in context. And on the opposite wall, viewers can share their own Post-It opinions about what should be done with the figure.

Why not give the public the same opportunity to suggest what should be done with Trump?
The President fired the first shot on March 23, posting this on Truth Social: "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. 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. 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. 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. Jared should be ashamed of himself!"

In a History Colorado display, that gobbledygook could be followed by the response from Polis, who had nothing to do with the portrait. (Colorado Republicans commissioned it after raising $10,000 through a 2019 GoFundMe campaign.) The unashamed governor said that he "was surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork. 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. 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 display could also include the April 5 statement from Sarah Broadman, the artist herself, who'd previously painted the Capitol's portrait of Barack Obama and used a bland photo of Trump as the inspiration for his portrait: “President Trump is entitled to comment freely, as we all are, but the additional allegations that I ‘purposefully distorted’ the portrait, and that I ‘must have lost my talent as I got older,’ are now directly and negatively impacting my business of over 41 years which now is in danger of not recovering.”

Broadman said she would not discuss the matter again, but others aren't as reticent. “If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol," advised Colorado House Democrats, "then that’s up to them.”

To save time and money, they can play off what the White House did this past weekend, and get a copy of the pop-up painting now hanging in the Grand Foyer that shows a blood-streaked Trump with a raised fist seconds after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. An Obama portrait got pushed aside for that one; at the Capitol, the Boardman Trump portrait hung right beside one she did of Obama. (Apparently he has never complained about the painting.)

Asked about the possibility of displaying the Trump portrait, just as History Colorado did that other controversial figure from the State Capitol, Jason Hanson, chief creative officer, offers this diplomatic answer: "History Colorado embraces our responsibility as the state’s collective memory keeper, and we are committed to working with our fellow Coloradans to cultivate historical perspective on how we got to now. We would look forward to working with our community partners and members of the state legislature on any plans to exhibit the president’s portrait in the future."

No matter where Trump goes, the soldier is slated to move to a permanent spot at the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Colorado Legislature just voted to fill the place where he once stood in front of the Capitol with a Sand Creek Massacre memorial.

The History Colorado Center has its own memorial to that dark day in Colorado history: The Sand Creek Massacre: The Betrayal That Changed Cheyenne and Arapaho People Forever. At the entrance to the exhibit, History Colorado cites the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services — both of which have been decimated by Trump's cuts in his continuing campaign to rewrite history...or erase it altogether.

History Colorado could put a note about that right by Trump's portrait.

We'd love to see the Post-Its.