Trump Replaces Obama Portrait with Painting of Himself Surviving Assassination Attempt

WASHINGTON, 12 April 2025 (BSS/AFP) – In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump has replaced the official portrait of Barack Obama in a prominent area of the White House with a dramatic painting of himself, commemorating the moment he survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in 2024.

🖼️ A Portrait Swap with Symbolism

On Friday, the 78-year-old Republican leader ordered the relocation of Obama’s portrait – which previously hung by the main stairwell of the grand entrance hallway – to a less conspicuous spot nearby. In its place now hangs a newly installed painting depicting Trump, bloodied but defiant, pumping his fist and shouting “fight” just moments after being shot in the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.

White House Statement: “Some new artwork at the White House,” accompanied by a video showing visitors walking past the newly hung painting.

This action breaks with long-standing White House tradition, where presidential portraits are typically added only after a leader has left office. It also underscores Trump’s ongoing and deeply personal rivalry with his predecessor, Barack Obama – the United States’ first Black president.

🎨 The Painting: A Political Statement

Though the White House has yet to identify the artist, the work bears a striking resemblance to a widely circulated photograph taken by the Associated Press on the day of the shooting. The image – which became iconic in pro-Trump circles – shows Trump moments after being wounded, his ear bleeding, as he raises his fist in front of a stunned crowd.

Trump has also installed a large bronze sculpture of the same moment at his private Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, further turning the incident into a symbol of resilience and political messaging.

🏛️ Portrait Politics: Traditions Disrupted

Barack Obama’s portrait, painted in classic formal style and unveiled in 2022 under President Joe Biden, features him in a black suit with a grey tie, set against a clean white background. It remains within view, only a few feet away, but its relocation has not gone unnoticed.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung confirmed the move on social media platform X, responding to critics by remarking, “The Obama portrait was just moved a few feet away.” He then told one critic to “Pipe down, moron” – a tone in keeping with the combative rhetoric often seen in Trump’s political circles.

🇺🇸 A Rivalry Etched in Memory

Trump’s fraught relationship with Obama traces back to the controversial “birther” conspiracy theory, which Trump vocally supported, falsely alleging that Obama was not born in the United States. Obama, in return, used humour and public ridicule to dismiss Trump’s attacks, famously skewering him at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner – a moment some believe fuelled Trump’s ambition to seek the presidency.

Trump’s flair for spectacle, honed during his years in reality television, is evident in his decor preferences. A gold-framed version of his own mugshot from a legal case related to the 2020 election now also hangs outside the Oval Office – a far cry from presidential modesty.