Trump criticises his Colorado portrait but praises one sent by Putin

US President Donald Trump has received a new portrait from Russian President Vladimir Putin, just as he publicly ridiculed an existing painting of himself displayed in Colorado’s State Capitol, BBC reported. 

While the new portrait has not been revealed to the public, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that it was a personal gift and that only Putin could decide whether to disclose further details.

Trump’s Truth Social post on Monday morning was filled with criticism of an older portrait of himself in the Colorado State Capitol, which he described as “truly the worst” and “purposefully distorted”. He even suggested that the same artist’s portrayal of Barack Obama was far more flattering, writing that Obama “looked wonderful”.

The artist, Sarah Boardman, originally painted the portrait as part of a Republican-led crowdfunding campaign in 2019. Ironically, the space where Trump’s portrait now hangs was previously occupied by a prankster-placed image of Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that he was tasked with transporting the new Putin-endorsed portrait to Washington. He described it as a “beautiful painting” by a leading Russian artist, adding that Trump was “clearly touched” by the gift.

The timing of this gift is particularly significant, coinciding with renewed US-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia as Trump attempts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. Witkoff, who met Putin 10 days ago, said the Russian leader had been “gracious”, even revealing that he had prayed for Trump after last year’s assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.

That attempted assassination led to one of the most iconic images of Trump: standing with a bloody ear and a raised fist, captured by AP photographer Evan Vucci. Trump later used this image for the cover of his book.

Despite the controversy surrounding the Colorado portrait, a spokesperson for Colorado Governor Jared Polis said the governor was surprised by Trump’s sudden interest in state artwork. 

“We appreciate the president’s interest in our Capitol building and always welcome opportunities to improve our visitor experience,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, art critics have defended Boardman, saying presidential portraits often provoke strong reactions depending on political biases. Portrait artist Robert Anderson, who painted George W Bush’s official portrait, noted, “The reaction to an artwork often has very little to do with the quality of art.”