Donald Trump would be elated that his worst painting ever has been replaced at the Colorado state capital now. The painting was approved by the White House, done by Vanessa Horabuena. There were certain prerequisites from Trump to make the painting as per his likes and dislikes.
Earlier this year, in March, Trump criticized the artwork at the Colorado State Capitol done by Sarah Boardman. He went to Truth Social to call it out, saying it’s truly the worst and he’d prefer not having any portrait than this. He also said the artist is losing her touch and skills due to old age, since she made better paintings for previous presidents.
The painting that had been hanging at Denver since 2019 was taken off the wall right after his complaint. Trump put the White House to work to get the perfect painting made! One of the requirements for the new painting was to have gold borders to add glimmer to the painting and catch the right light. The new painting has been revealed, which is quite similar to Trump’s official inaugural portrait.
Many called it the supervillain pic of the year. The new artists behind the work have painted Trump before and also worked on Bob Marley, Abraham Lincoln and Jesus Christ paintings. The White House took the lead in this one and gifted the painting to the Colorado State Capitol before they could put another bad portrait of Trump.
🗣 Trump happy with his new portrait
The Colorado State Capitol replaced the painting he whined was “distorted” with a new one.
So… which one looks more distorted to you? pic.twitter.com/Ly9iLlYNsm
— brane mijatovic (@brane_mija64426) July 1, 2025
It is now hanging on the third floor of the gallery. Lois Court, a former lawmaker, said the blank wall was inappropriate, and the White House-approved replacement made perfect sense to put up.
Netizens have reacted to the painting and asked if the new painting is as bad as the old one. As for Sarah Boardman, her business has suffered since Trump’s accusation that she deliberately distorted the artwork. Meanwhile, he praised her Obama portrait she had made earlier.
Boardman revealed that Trump’s portrait was unbiased and accurate, according to her. It wasn’t distorted in any way. She claims she did the portrait as per her contract without trying to caricature the subject. Boardman had been an artist for 41 years now, and such a review from the president himself drew negative attention to her business. The portrait done by Boardman did look different from others, making Trump look plump. He has always been conscious of his looks, as proven by fake tan and makeup before appearances.
Donald Trump’s new presidential portrait unveiled. pic.twitter.com/QkJsmauq0N
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 2, 2025
Earlier this year, another powerful portrait of Trump, Ronald Rargan and Abraham Lincoln was displayed at the West Wing. It received mixed reactions from people. This painting also features thin gold borders with a blue stripe and American flag in the background.
The new portrait does make Trump look better compared to the last portrait. for the previous one he had said no one likes bad pictures of themselves. Hopefully he likes this one enough.
