President Donald Trump is once again switching up the White House vibe — and this time, it involves Barack Obama’s face.
According to multiple reports, Trump has had Obama’s official presidential portrait yanked from its prime spot in the Grand Foyer and sent upstairs to the top of the Grand Staircase. It’s now in a part of the building only the First Family, Secret Service, and a handful of staffers ever see. So if you’re on a White House tour? Forget it. You’re not catching a glimpse.
The painting — a photorealistic piece by Robert McCurdy — used to greet visitors the second they stepped into the executive mansion, which is pretty much the tradition for recent presidents. Moving it upstairs is basically the political version of unfollowing someone on Instagram and then muting them for good measure.
Obama’s not the only one getting boxed out of the hallway art gallery. The portraits of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush have also been relocated, which, if you’ve been paying attention to Trump’s history with the Bush family, shouldn’t shock you.
This is actually Obama’s second portrait eviction since Trump returned to the White House. Back in April, it was moved to make space for a new painting showing Trump surviving the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. And during Trump’s first term, portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush got replaced with paintings of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt — because, apparently, Trump likes his art old-school.
The latest move comes as Trump has been taking shots at Obama again, this time accusing him and his administration of treason over the 2016 election. Obama’s office clapped back, calling the claims “outrageous,” “bizarre,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.” Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi has launched a grand jury investigation into allegations that Obama officials faked intelligence about Russian interference.
It’s not much warmer with the Bushes. The late George H.W. Bush once called Trump a “blowhard” and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, while George W. Bush — dubbed “a failed and uninspiring” president by Trump — pulled a no-show at the 2025 inaugural luncheon.
White House portrait traditions go back to the early ’60s when Jacqueline Kennedy decided to start making them a thing. They’re funded by the White House Historical Association, and the unveiling is supposed to be a classy, bipartisan moment. Former curator Betty Monkman described it as “a statement of generosity” from the current president to their predecessor.
But Trump has never been shy about putting his own stamp on the place. Sources say he’s personally involved in nearly every aesthetic choice in the building, no matter how small. And for the record, Joe Biden’s official portrait hasn’t even been finished yet.
