Trump Calls Colorado Portrait "Purposefully Distorted." But Is It?

President Donald Trump is not happy with his presidential portrait in the Colorado State Capitol. But perhaps he should take it up with his face instead of the artist.

Trump called the portrait "truly the worst" in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, March 23. He alleged that the painting was "purposefully distorted," suggesting it was sabotaged due to political differences between the Republican president and Democratic Governor Jared Polis.

"I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one," Trump said. "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...to take it down. Jared should be ashamed of himself!"

Trump's outburst inspired both bipartisan mockery and agreement that the portrait is inaccurate. The conservative National Review called it "hilariously atrocious work" that makes Trump look "eerily undead" and "thirty pounds heavier," while a reporter from the left-leaning MSNBC said it is "objectively bad." However, looking at the reference photo, the portrait is actually dead on.

While the portrait only now caught Trump's attention, it was made six years ago in a lengthy process that included a legislative committee approving which photo of Trump to base the painting on. The chosen photo was intended to make Trump look “serious, non-confrontational, thoughtful," the artist told the Colorado Times Recorder in 2018.

Comparing the images side-by-side, the portrait of Trump is actually slimmer in the jaw and torso than the real-life photograph of him, plus his eyes are brighter and his skin is less orange. Basically, it's Trump with a beauty filter.

In addition, Polis had no hand in creating the presidential portrait. In fact, a Republican coalition commissioned the portrait.

"Governor Polis was surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork," a spokesperson for Polis says. "We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our Capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”

Still, Colorado House Democrats have agreed to take down the painting at the request of Republican leadership, according to the Associated Press.
Kevin Grantham, a Republican and former Senate president, led a fundraiser that collected nearly $11,000 for the portrait in 2018. In Colorado, presidential portraits are paid for by private groups, not the state. Grantham started a GoFundMe himself after learning that no donations had been received to fund Trump's portrait more than a year into his first presidential term.

Grantham says this is the first time he's heard any complaints about Trump's depiction in the portrait, adding that the news came as "a little shocking."

"I like it," Grantham says of the portrait. "I'm the last person in the world to be called upon to critique any artwork. But I look at that painting and I say, 'Oh, yeah, that's President Trump.' I don't see anything one way or the other in criticism of it."

Regardless, Grantham says he's fine with having the portrait taken down.

"Obviously, [Trump] is very much not okay with it, and that's okay," he adds. "We can look at putting up a different one. ...I would want that same consideration if I were the subject of a portrait. It's only reasonable that he be afforded that same opportunity. If he doesn't like it, let's fix it."

Grantham says he would be "happy to help" fundraise for a replacement portrait "if called upon," but he doesn't have any current plans to commission a new painting on Trump's behalf.

Colorado Springs artist Sarah Boardman painted Trump's portrait. She also painted the Colorado Capitol's portrait of Barack Obama. Before Boardman, the late Lawrence Williams painted all of the other 43 presidential portraits.

Trump referenced Boardman's portrait of Obama in his post: "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."

Boardman did not respond to a request for comment. In 2019, she told the Colorado Times Recorder that she does not let personal feelings for any of her subjects influence her work, noting that the desire to "remain neutral" contributed to the selection of Trump's reference photo.

"The commission for which I was hired, as with Obama’s, is to present a portrait for all viewers regardless of their stance on the issues related to the subject," Boardman said. "I consider a neutrally thoughtful, and non-confrontational, portrait allows everyone to reach their own conclusions in their own time, in addition to that approach being more durable over time. Personal views about a subject do not define, and are separate from, a piece of art in the Gallery of Presidents."

This article was updated to include new information from Kevin Grantham and an Associated Press report.