The White House has removed portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. The move comes under orders from President Donald Trump, as first reported by CNN.
White House officials have relocated the portraits to a less prominent area at the top of the Grand Staircase. Two sources who spoke with CNN on the condition of anonymity said that the decision to move the pictures came at the direction of Trump. The portrait of former President George H.W. Bush has also been relocated.
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Trump involved in most aesthetic choices at White House
Multiple people also told the news organization that the president is involved directly with almost everything regarding White House decor.
According to the report, Obama’s portrait now hangs in a corner at the top of the stairwell, an area heavily secured and solely meant for members of the first family and White House staff. One of the sources also told CNN that pictures of both Bushes are in the staircase area as well.
The reason for the move remains unclear, but it’s not the first time Obama’s portrait has been moved. In April, the painting was replaced at its former position at the Grand Foyer with a picture of Trump after he survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
Traditionally, the White House has placed portraits of the most recent presidents in the most prominent positions. This is done so guests can see them during official tours and events.
Neither Obama’s spokesperson nor the White House has commented on the report.
Trump-Obama ongoing tensions
While the reason behind the change remains a question, it comes after rising tensions between Obama and Trump recently. The Trump administration accused Obama-era officials of manufacturing evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Obama responded to the accusations and subsequent ongoing investigation, calling the move “bizarre” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”
Following the accusations, Trump also shared an AI-generated video of Obama being arrested and jailed.
Trump has had conflicts with other past presidents as well, including George H.W. Bush, who notably acknowledged he voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and later expressed his distaste for the president in a biography. But former president George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush have remained quiet on politics, and both attended Trump’s inauguration in 2025.
Presidential portraits didn’t become a formal tradition until the 1960s under First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The funding for them comes from private donors, organized by the nonprofit White House Historical Association, according to former White House curator Betty Monkman.
