Trump Removes Obama, Bush Portraits From Prominence in White House: Visitors Will No Longer Be Able to See Them

Once upon a time, the official calling card of the White House front entrance was a portrait of Barack Obama. Now it, along with the portraits of the Bushes (senior and junior), has been moved to the far staircase, reports CNN.

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Trump has ordered the Obama portrait moved to the top of the Grand Staircase, where it will be out of sight of the thousands of visitors who tour the White House each day, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. One of the sources added that the portraits of both Bushes are now in the same area of the stairs.

According to trusted sources, the president is personally involved in almost all decisions regarding the design of the White House, whether major or minor changes.

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CNN obtained a photo showing Obama's portrait hanging in a corner of the landing of a staircase leading to a private residence. Access to the area is restricted to members of the president's family, Secret Service agents, and a small number of White House and residence staff. Visitors will no longer be able to see Robert McCurdy's work.

This isn't the first time Obama's portrait has been moved. In April, it was moved to the opposite side of the White House's Grand Foyer and replaced with a painting depicting an iconic scene of Trump surviving an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

According to White House protocol, portraits of recent US presidents must occupy the most visible places - at the main entrance to the residence, so that they can be seen by guests at official events and during tours.

The portrait of 46th President Joe Biden is not yet completed.

The portrait swap is the latest swipe by Trump at a political rival. It comes as tensions between Trump and Obama have escalated in recent months. Trump recently accused Obama and members of his administration of treason during the 2016 election, allegations Obama’s office called “outrageous,” “bizarre,” and a “feeble attempt to distract.”

Attorney General Pamela Bondi, at the direction of the president, has launched a grand jury investigation into allegations that senior Obama administration officials fabricated intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

There have also been long-standing tensions between Trump and the Bush family. Bush Sr., who died in 2018, called Trump a “windbag” in his biography and voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. George W. Bush, whom Trump has criticized as a “failed and boring” president, and former first lady Laura Bush attended the president’s 2025 inauguration but did not attend the post-ceremony dinner.

CNN referred inquiries to the White House and the White House Historic Preservation Association. A spokesman for Obama's office declined to comment.

During his first term, Trump already removed portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush from the Grand Concourse, replacing them with images of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.

As former White House curator Betty Monkman recalled, the tradition of official presidential portraits, privately funded by the nonprofit White House Historic Preservation Association, began in the early 1960s with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Before that, Monkman said, the portrait policy was “rather haphazard” — paid for by Congress, commissioned by friends, or commissioned by the presidents themselves.

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In modern White House history, presidents and first ladies have invited their predecessors, former staff, friends and family to ceremonial portrait unveilings.

"It's a generous gesture on the part of the current president and first lady to invite people from the previous administration," Monkman said of the Lyndon Johnson-era ceremony unveiling Eleanor Roosevelt's portrait.

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