A controversial portrait of President Donald Trump that once hung in the Colorado State Capitol has been taken down and replaced with a new version—this time, one that Trump himself approves of.
The new painting, created by artist Vanessa Horabuena and provided by the White House, now hangs in the third-floor presidential portrait gallery, according to a report from KKTV.
The switch followed direct criticism from Trump, who took issue with the previous portrait earlier this year. In March, Trump blasted the original image—painted by artist Sarah Boardman—as a “purposefully distorted” depiction of him.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves,” Trump posted on Truth Social at the time. “But the one in Colorado… was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.”
He compared it unfavorably to Boardman’s portrait of President Obama, writing, “She must have lost her talent as she got older.”
Following public complaints and Trump’s own remarks, the leadership of the Colorado General Assembly requested the portrait’s removal. In a statement, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee confirmed the swap.
“At the request of the leadership of the General Assembly, the portrait of President Trump… was removed in April 2025,” the committee stated. “The Capitol Building Advisory Committee has agreed to temporarily display this donated portrait and will consider the disposition of the full presidential portrait collection at a future meeting.”
Trump expressed gratitude for the change on Truth Social:
“Thank you to the Highly Talented Artist, Vanessa Horabuena, and the incredible people of Colorado — Now on display in the Colorado State Capitol!”
The artist of the original portrait, Sarah Boardman, defended her work in comments to The Guardian, noting that the reference image had been approved by Capitol officials and that her intention was to maintain neutrality.
“My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not tweeting,” Boardman said. “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.”
Despite her defense, the portrait’s removal became yet another political flashpoint, with Trump also using the moment to criticize Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis. “Jared should be ashamed of himself,” Trump wrote, accusing him of weakness on crime and referencing the Tren de Aragua gang’s alleged presence in Aurora.
The portrait debate now leaves Colorado officials to determine whether Horabuena’s painting will become the permanent image representing the 45th president—or if the state will seek yet another depiction down the road.
Trump-approved portrait hangs in Colorado Capitol after ‘purposefully distorted’ version was removed https://t.co/lYnzhsUpMY pic.twitter.com/Hy3TaW3iLH
— New York Post (@nypost) July 2, 2025