Trump replaces Obama portrait with one of himself

US President Donald Trump has replaced an official portrait of former US President Barack Obama with a painting of himself surviving an assassination attempt.

The new painting hanging in the foyer of the State Floor in the White House shows the moment when a bloodied Trump pumped his clenched fist in the air after he was shot at during a campaign rally in July 2024.

The White House announced the unexpected change in a video post on X along with the words: "Some new artwork at the White House."

The portrait of Obama, who was president from 2009 to 2017, has been rehung on the opposite side of the foyer.

Several news agencies called it "unusual" to replace a previous president's portrait with one of a sitting president.

White House portrait ceremony typically tradition at end of presidential term

Most presidents wait until they leave office before getting their portrait hung in the historic 200-year-old building.

"The Obama portrait was just moved a few feet away," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on X, while telling a critic of the move to "Pipe down, moron."

Trump has involved himself with paintings outside of the White House, too.

Last month, a painting of Trump that had hung with other presidential portraits at the Colorado state Capitol was taken down after the president complained that his likeness was "purposefully distorted."

Trump's history of animosity with Obama

Trump launched his political career by pushing the racist and false "birther" conspiracy theory that Obama was born outside of the US and therefore not eligible to run for president.

Trump also accused Obama of having tapped his phone lines during the runup to the 2016 election. Trump never provided any evidence for the allegations, which were refuted by the FBI.

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