Key Takeaways:
- Tradition Broken: Trump moved Barack Obama’s official White House portrait from the Grand Foyer — where recent presidents are typically displayed — to a secluded private stairwell off-limits to visitors.
- Trump’s Personal Touch: The relocation follows months of Trump-approved White House aesthetic changes, including adding MAGA-themed art, gold finishes, and replacing other portraits.
- Symbolic Statement: Supporters see the move as Trump unapologetically making the White House his own, while critics view it as a deliberate snub to his predecessor.
President Donald Trump has once again proven he’s not in the business of following Washington’s unwritten rules — especially when it comes to the décor.
This time, he’s given former President Barack Obama’s official White House portrait a one-way ticket out of the spotlight and up to the top of a private stairwell in the Executive Residence — an area completely off-limits to visitors. Traditionally, the two most recent presidential portraits hang in the Grand Foyer, front and center for the public to admire. But Trump swapped Obama’s spot months ago for a painting of himself from the day of the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., and now has sent the Obama portrait even further from view.
The new location? Tucked into a corner atop the Grand Staircase — “firmly out of view” according to CNN — sharing wall space with Dwight D. Eisenhower and both Bushes.
Trump, who reportedly signs off on every aesthetic change in the White House, has been steadily reshaping its look — adding gold finishes, MAGA-themed art, and even paving over the Kennedy-era Rose Garden lawn. Critics call it petty. Supporters call it refreshing. Either way, Trump’s message is clear: in his White House, tradition bows to the man in charge.