Trump Removes Portraits of Former Presidents

(MENAFN) According to a news agency, U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed White House personnel to reposition the portraits of three former American presidents — including Barack Obama — to a lesser-seen staircase area.

The outlet, referencing two individuals familiar with the situation, revealed that the artworks have been placed in a part of the building where they are no longer visible to public visitors.

This development follows closely behind the recent release of classified materials from Washington, which suggest that senior figures in the Obama administration may have collaborated with intelligence agency leaders to promote “unsubstantiated claims” regarding Russian interference in Trump’s 2016 election campaign.

Alongside Obama, portraits of Trump’s other predecessors — 43rd president George W. Bush and his father George H. W. Bush — were also affected. George H. W. Bush began his presidency in 1989, following his tenure as vice president under Ronald Reagan.

All three portraits were relocated to the top of the Grand Staircase, a spot reportedly inaccessible to the general public touring the White House, the sources told the news agency.

Tensions between Trump and the Bush family are well-documented.

The elder Bush, a Republican who died in 2018, described Trump as a “blowhard” in his autobiography and notably backed Democrat Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential race.

George W. Bush, whom Trump has labeled a “failed and uninspiring” president, did attend Trump’s 2025 inauguration with his wife Laura Bush. However, the couple chose not to stay for the post-ceremony luncheon.

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