The official White House portrait of former President Obama has been moved from its prominent position in the entryway to the top of the residence’s Grand Staircase, far from the view of visitors who pass through on official tours.
A White House official told The Hill that Obama’s portrait is now located at the top of the stairs, above the portrait of former President Eisenhower, which is up the steps from the portraits of former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George Bush.
CNN first reported that portraits of Obama and the Bushes had been moved at the direction of President Trump to areas of the staircase not accessible to the public.
The portrait of Obama, a photorealistic painting by the artist Robert McCurdy, was previously moved in April to a different part of the White House and replaced by a painting of Trump raising his fist following a 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
It’s not necessarily unusual for presidential portraits in the White House to be rearranged during a new administration. However, more recent presidents are generally given prominent placements.
Trump has also been particular about the style of the presidential mansion during his second term, proposing the construction of a $200 million ballroom and adorning the Oval Office with gold.
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