Donald Trump has intensified his long-standing rivalry with Barack Obama by removing the former US president’s portrait from its prominent spot in the White House and replacing it with a painting of himself surviving an assassination attempt.
The 78-year-old Republican shifted Obama’s image — the only Black president in US history — to the opposite wall of the grand entrance hallway, a move that breaks with long-standing tradition. Typically, sitting presidents do not have their portraits hung until they leave office.
“Some new artwork at the White House,” the official White House account posted on X, sharing a video of Trump’s new portrait installed beside the main staircase where Obama’s used to hang.
The painting depicts the dramatic moment in July 2024 when a bloodied Trump raised his fist and shouted “fight” after being shot in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The artwork closely resembles a widely circulated Associated Press photo from the incident. The White House did not confirm the identity of the artist.
Photos of Trump’s portrait circulated quickly online, with officials noting that Obama’s portrait had merely been relocated, not removed entirely. “The Obama portrait was just moved a few feet away,” said White House Communications Director Steven Cheung on X, responding to criticism with, “Pipe down, moron.”
While it’s not uncommon for presidents to shuffle portraits of predecessors, the public fanfare surrounding this change points to Trump’s enduring animosity toward Obama, who served from 2009 to 2017. Obama’s official portrait — a formal image of him in a black suit and grey tie against a white backdrop — was unveiled in 2022 by then-president Joe Biden.
Trump’s antagonism toward Obama has been well-documented. He launched his political career by promoting the false and racist “birther” conspiracy, which claimed Obama was not born in the United States. Obama, in turn, frequently mocked Trump, including during a memorable roasting at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The switch also reflects Trump’s penchant for self-promotion. Outside the Oval Office, he recently installed a gold-framed version of his mugshot from a legal case tied to alleged interference in the 2020 election. At his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a large bronze statue of Trump’s defiant pose after the Butler shooting now stands on display.
