The White House has moved the official portrait of former President Barack Obama from its prominent spot in the entryway to a location not accessible to the public, a White House official confirmed to USA TODAY.
The relocation comes amid heightened tensions between Obama and current President Donald Trump. Last month, Obama strongly rejected a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which alleged that he and senior aides had “manufactured and politicized intelligence” against Trump following the 2016 election. Obama’s office dismissed the claims as “nonsense and misinformation,” while Trump accused the former president of “treason” during an Oval Office meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling him a “ringleader” whose actions were “seditious.”
The portrait, painted by Robert McCurdy and unveiled in September 2022, is now located at the top of the White House’s Grand Staircase, an area leading to the president’s private residence and closed to visitors during public tours. This marks the second time the 44th president’s portrait has been moved.
In April, it was removed from its position to make room for a new portrait depicting the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania — an image showing the former president with blood on his face and an American flag in the background. At the time, the official White House account on X noted the addition of “some new artwork,” with Obama’s portrait being relocated across the foyer.
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been responsible for acquiring and commissioning the official portraits of U.S. presidents and first ladies. Traditionally, the two most recent presidential portraits are displayed in the Grand Foyer. Former President Joe Biden’s portrait has yet to be completed. The Trump administration has also moved the portraits of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush to the Grand Staircase area; neither endorsed Trump in his presidential campaigns.
President Trump has made several notable changes to White House décor during his tenure, including personally selecting frames and portraits for the Cabinet Room, overseeing a gold-themed renovation of the Oval Office, redesigning the Rose Garden, and initiating construction of a grand East Wing ballroom. “I do that in my part time because it’s a natural instinct,” Trump told reporters on August 11. “As a real estate person, I was very good at fixing things up.”
