Colorado Capitol Hangs White House-Donated Trump Portrait After Earlier Dispute

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Updated Jul 2, 2025, 03:40 AM

A new official portrait of President Donald Trump is now on display in the Colorado State Capitol after the White House donated a replacement for a painting the president had condemned earlier this year. The oil painting, created by Tempe, Arizona–based artist Vanessa Horabuena, was hung this week in the third-floor rotunda’s wall of past U.S. presidents.

The installation ends a months-long controversy that began in March, when Trump posted on social media that the prior portrait—painted in 2019 by Colorado artist Sarah Boardman—was “purposefully distorted” and “truly the worst.” Within days, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee removed Boardman’s work and left the space vacant while awaiting a substitute.

Committee chair Lois Court said the Horabuena canvas arrived from the White House about a month ago and was mounted after the panel voted on Thursday that leaving the wall empty was inappropriate. Trump thanked Horabuena and “the incredible people of Colorado” in a Truth Social message following the installation.

The replacement may prove temporary. The advisory committee is weighing whether to replace all presidential portraits with images of former Colorado governors as part of commemorations planned for the state’s 150th anniversary in 2026.

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