On Friday, the White House quietly unveiled a striking new portrait of former President Donald Trump—an image depicting him moments after surviving an assassination attempt during his 2024 campaign. The painting now occupies a prominent spot that previously featured President Barack Obama’s official portrait.
The unexpected switch deviates from long-standing White House custom, where the two most recent former presidents’ portraits are typically displayed near the residence staircase. Trump’s status as both a former and sitting president has complicated the usual arrangement.
Obama’s portrait, which debuted in 2022, was previously showcased on a key wall of the State Floor. It has now been moved to another space—formerly home to the portrait of George W. Bush. In turn, Bush’s image will be relocated to a nearby area where his father, George H.W. Bush, is also displayed.
The White House shared the update with a cheeky post on its official X account (formerly Twitter), featuring a photo of the Trump painting alongside the caption, “Some new artwork at the White House” and a pair of eye emojis. Painted by artist Marc Lipp, the piece shows Trump with a bandaged ear and raised fist in the aftermath of the July 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. His defiant rallying cry—“fight, fight, fight!”—became a signature theme of his campaign.
The painting was a gift from Andrew Pollack, a school safety advocate whose daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, and was donated through the Blue Gallery in Delray Beach, Florida. According to the gallery, Lipp is known for his “Modern Pop Art” style that blends current events with bold artistic expression.
This latest reshuffling of presidential portraits also brings renewed attention to earlier breaks in the protocol. During Trump’s first term, he did not host Obama for the traditional portrait unveiling ceremony—an event typically celebrated with bipartisan goodwill. That ceremony finally took place in 2022, led by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
Historically, these events reflect a spirit of civility among presidents. George W. Bush, for instance, welcomed Bill and Hillary Clinton to his White House, while Obama later did the same for the Bush family.
The tradition of presidential and first lady portraits dates back to George Washington. While many earlier works were gifted, the White House Historical Association has funded most official portraits since the 1960s, starting with Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, and continuing with John and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Not all portraits are constantly on display. Some rotate out for preservation or conservation, while others are placed in various rooms throughout the mansion, such as the China Room, Vermeil Room, and major State Floor spaces like the East Room and State Dining Room.
Beyond Washington, Trump has taken a keen interest in how he is visually represented. Just last month, he publicly criticized a portrait of himself in Colorado’s Capitol, calling it “intentionally distorted.” It was subsequently taken down.
Meanwhile, the official portraits of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are still in progress and may take several more years to be completed and unveiled.
