Barack Obama’s official White House portrait has been moved stealthily from its former prominent placement in the main entryway to much less central a location above the Grand Staircase. The action underscores lingering tensions between the 44th president and his successor, Donald Trump, in a manner in which personal and political divergences are manifesting in subtle but symbolic terms within the country’s most iconic home.
From the Entryway to the Staircase
Sources close to the situation told CNN that Trump himself ordered the relocation, where Obama’s portrait was positioned in a corner of the landing in the stairwell, an area that is limited to family, Secret Service, and a small group of staff. The portrait, done by Robert McCurdy, was once hung where thousands of White House tour and official event guests would be able to easily view it.
Alongside Obama’s portrait, those of former Presidents George HW Bush and George W. Bush other individuals Trump has had combative relationships with have also been moved to the same stairwell location. This move results in the portraits being taken out of the Grand Foyer’s central display, a traditional placement for recent presidents.
A Visual Statement of Political Rivalry
The relocation of Obama’s portrait is the latest in a series of symbolic moves highlighting the tense relationship between Trump and his predecessors. The move comes after another shift in April, when Obama’s portrait was displaced from the Grand Foyer by a photo marking Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt a dramatic and politically tinged selection.
The feuds between Trump and Obama have grown stronger in recent times. Trump publicly denounced Obama and his administration for “treason” related to investigations of the 2016 election, a charge his predecessor’s office deemed “outrageous” and a “weak try at diversion.” The Trump administration, led by attorney general Pamela Bondi, even opened a grand jury inquiry into reported abuses by Obama officials.
There are also tensions between Trump and the Bush family. The late George HW Bush characterized Trump as a “blowhard,” and George W. Bush was derided by Trump as “failed” and “uninspiring.” Although both Bushes attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration, the elder Bush’s family skipped the post-ceremony lunch, highlighting the uncomfortable dynamic.
The Tradition and Its Modern Shifts
The formal tradition of having presidential portraits hanging in the White House traces its roots back to the early 1960s under Jacqueline Kennedy, the First Lady. Prior to that, placement was sporadic, with portraits commissioned individually or sponsored by Congress. The White House Historical Association currently funds in private many of these works, following protocol that typically reserves choice locations close to the front door for more current presidents’ portraits.
But Trump has done this before, also swapping out portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush with William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt’s during his initial term. These kinds of choices convey unstated messages about what legacies a president wants to emphasize or hide.
As former White House curator Betty Monkman put it, presidential portrait unveilings have typically been occasions of “generosity” in which outgoing administrations are celebrated in ceremonies attended by outgoing and incoming presidents and their families. The recent actions portend a break with that tradition, indicating more profound political rifts that reach even into the art that decorates the nation’s executive manor.
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