Colorado capitol removes 'distorted' Trump portrait as artist defends her creation which angered POTUS

WASHINGTON, DC: A British artist behind Donald Trump’s now-infamous presidential portrait has shed light on the real reason behind its strikingly neutral depiction.

The portrait, which was displayed at the Colorado State Capitol, became the center of controversy after Trump himself lambasted it as the "worst" presidential painting ever, as per The US Sun.

Colorado capitol removes GOP-led and funded Trump portrait

Interestingly, the portrait was initially funded through a Republican-led GoFundMe campaign, approved by the state GOP. However, despite its Republican-backed origins, state legislatures recently agreed to remove the painting.

The decision was reportedly influenced by Republican colleagues who sympathized with Trump’s complaints.

“Republican leadership asked for it to be taken down," House Democrats spokesperson Jarrett Freedman said in a statement on March 24, as per 9 News.

The Democratic spokesperson responded dismissively, saying, “The [Democratic] speaker and majority leader are focused on keeping Coloradans safe and reducing costs, not hanging portraits. If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them.”

Former GOP Youth Advisory Council Member Weston D Imer wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "I personally helped Fundraise to pay for this portrait and I can tell you that Trump‘s team gave her a terrible portrait of him when she reached out to paint him."

"This is not on our good friend Sarah, who is a conservative," Imer added.

The portrait is now set to be placed in long-term storage.

This comes after previous attempts to fundraise for Trump’s portrait in 2018 failed, leading a protest group to temporarily replace his spot in the Gallery of Presidents with an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, this all started when the president himself took to his Truth Social platform to voice his detest towards the painting. 

Donald Trump’s scathing rant over 'distorted' portrait 

Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on the artwork, claiming it was "purposefully distorted."

In a comparison with his predecessor Barack Obama, Trump remarked that the former president's portrait looked "wonderful," while his own was terrible.

Taking to Truth Social, he wrote, “Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.”

"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. In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain," Trump wrote.

The president expressed his desire to have the painting removed.

"In fact, they are actually angry about it! I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime, in particular with respect to Tren de Aragua, which practically took over Aurora (Don’t worry, we saved it!), to take it down. Jared should be ashamed of himself!” he added.

Artist Sarah Boardman's explanation on keeping Donald Trump's portrait 'neutral'

British-born artist Sarah Boardman painted the portrait, which was unveiled in 2019 and can also be viewed on her website, Sarah Broadman Fine Art. 

She revealed her reasoning behind Trump's neutral expression, explaining that it was meant to stand the test of time.

“My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not tweeting. In five, 10, 15, 20 years, he will be another president on the wall who is only historical background and he needs to look neutral,” the artist explained.

As per Colorado Times Recorder, Boardman also stated that she deliberately sets aside personal feelings when painting subjects.

“I always take personal feelings toward any subject out of my art so I can leave those emotions at the door,” she added.

Regarding the backlash, she asserted, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and opposition is one aspect of that. All presidents from the first to the last are entitled to have their portraits in the Rotunda as it is the 'Gallery of Presidents.'”

She emphasized that being president alone is the qualification for inclusion.

“Being president is the qualification for entry into the gallery, and I respect that qualification on face value as I did with the portrait of President Obama,” Boardman said.

Boardman, who was first commissioned to paint Obama’s portrait for Colorado’s State Capitol after winning a nationwide 'Call for Artists' contest, has an extensive artistic background.

According to First Post, her online bio states, “Sarah has always been passionate about painting portraits, being particularly intrigued by the depth and character found deeper in her subjects.”

“Sarah believes that the ultimate challenge is to capture the ‘personality, character, and soul’ of an individual in a two-dimensional format,” it further read.

While Boardman has painted other former presidents such as Bill Clinton and George W Bush, her work also extends to more whimsical subjects, including dogs wearing funny hats.