President Donald Trump has publicly criticized a portrait of him displayed at the Colorado State Capitol, describing the artwork as “purposefully distorted.” The painting, created by Colorado Springs artist Sarah Boardman, has been part of the building’s collection of presidential portraits since 2019.
In a post shared Sunday on his social media platform, Trump compared his reaction to that of someone wanting to be untagged from an unflattering photo. “Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves,” he wrote, adding that the portrait “was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.”
Boardman painted both Trump’s and former President Barack Obama’s portraits for the Capitol collection. In a 2019 interview with The Denver Post, she said her intent was to keep both portraits apolitical and neutral. “In today’s environment, it’s all very upfront; but in another five, 10, 15 years, he will be another president on the wall,” she said. “And he needs to look neutral.” Boardman has not responded to recent requests for comment.
Trump’s criticism comes amid significant global developments, including ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and tensions in Europe. Nonetheless, the former president’s comments have focused attention on his disapproval of how he is depicted in the Colorado painting.
There is no clear explanation for why Trump has raised the issue now, nearly six years after the portrait was first unveiled.
