Overview

• A new portrait of Donald Trump painted by Vanessa Horabuena and donated by the White House was formally installed in the Colorado State Capitol on July 1, replacing the earlier work by Sarah Boardman.
• Boardman’s oil painting had been removed in March after Trump publicly denounced it as “purposefully distorted” and “truly the worst.”
• The Vanessa Horabuena portrait features a golden border and resembles Trump’s official second-term photograph, reflecting the president’s preference for a crisper, more glowering likeness.
• The Capitol Building Advisory Committee will convene in September to consider replacing all presidential portraits in the gallery with images of Colorado’s past governors for the state’s 150th anniversary.
• State GOP leaders and the White House navigated artwork-selection rules to expedite the removal and installation process, underscoring the tensions between presidential image control and institutional governance.