Overview

• Former Chief White House photographer Pete Souza called President Trump’s decision to move Barack Obama’s portrait “pretty petty” and questioned whether it reflected personal or discriminatory motives.
• On August 10 a White House official acknowledged that the official portraits of Barack Obama, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush were shifted from public tour routes to a non-public landing atop the Grand Staircase.
• The relocation removed these portraits from visibility during White House tours and from most staff areas, prompting concerns about transparency and control over historical exhibits.
• Souza’s Instagram post included a historical image of Barack and Michelle Obama descending the staircase beneath portraits of Eisenhower and Truman to underscore the contrast with current display practices.
• Observers view the portrait changes alongside the earlier installation of a Trump painting in the Grand Foyer as part of a broader pattern of symbolic departures from decades-old White House display protocols.