Doing some redecorating.
It’s been just under three months since President Donald Trump moved (back) into the White House, and he’s been hard at work putting his touches not just on his agenda, but on his living space.
There was a lot of outrage recently when Trump announced that he would be cutting down a centuries-old magnolia tree planted outside the White House by President Andrew Jackson. But the tree just outside of the Oval Office was dying, and had been determined to be a safety issue by the National Park Service, so it was removed and replaced by a sapling that Trump planted himself:
President Donald J. Trump planted a new MAGAnolia sapling at the White House — a direct descendant of the historic "Jackson Magnolia." 🌳🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/aSJn8Zo4pp
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 8, 2025
And it’s just not the outside of the White House that Trump is renovating. Back in February, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that Trump had hung a photo of his now-iconic mugshot from his felony case in Georgia just outside of the Oval Office:
Trump Mugshot is hanging in the hallway entrance to the Oval Office 🔥 https://t.co/nOsxLfKAvt pic.twitter.com/zPuoEmGA3R
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) February 14, 2025
But apparently that’s not all of the artwork that Trump has added to his new space.
The White House shared video showing a new portrait inside the presidential residence: A painting of the iconic photo of President Trump raising his fist following the assassination attempt back in July in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Some new artwork at the White House 👀 pic.twitter.com/l6u5u7k82T
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 11, 2025
It’s not the painting that has some people fired up though.
As several people pointed out, the new artwork replaced a portrait of former President Barack Obama that was previously hanging in that spot:
I have independently confirmed that President Obama’s portrait has indeed been replaced by this portrait of President Trump in the aftermath of the assassination attempt against him. pic.twitter.com/gJQID1W95T
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 11, 2025
Of course some people were upset that Trump took down Obama’s portrait and replaced it with a painting of himself:
So Trump ditched tradition, broke protocol, and took down Barack Obama’s portrait—just to hang his own.
Straight-up tin pot dictator energy. Insecure and petty to the end. 🫤 pic.twitter.com/wD3RhHzeQq
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) April 11, 2025
Disgusting. Lies can't replace decency. https://t.co/SbE3Nsr7fD
— brian scheuble (@bscheuble) April 11, 2025
Such a sicko. Can’t he sink any lower? Of course he can….
— MA Rasmussen (@ICmaryann) April 11, 2025
Donald Trump can replace as many portraits of Barack Obama as he wants, but he’ll never be half the leader or family man Obama is. Trump is too full of hate, greed, and ignorance to even be a decent human being, let alone a great one. pic.twitter.com/XKkB2T3PPI
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) April 11, 2025
Disrespectful to the bitter end. https://t.co/5pZdkfSip5 pic.twitter.com/a1xqZG6zgs
— DILLIGAF🤷🏻♂️ (@VT_BornandBred) April 11, 2025
But the White House confirmed that Obama’s portrait wasn’t removed completely, it was just relocated a few feet away from where it was previously hung:
Pipe down, moron.
The Obama portrait was just moved a few feet away. https://t.co/2K6XsHn54N
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) April 11, 2025
(Can I just say how much I love that “pipe down, moron” is an official White House response? It’s incredible).
And a photo from the White House shows that the Obama portrait is still hanging nearby in a different spot:
Obama remains in the Entrance Hall of the White House State Floor. pic.twitter.com/lOLv7371Cd
— Harrison Fields (@HFields47) April 11, 2025
Of course we know how much President Trump loves the photo from the assassination attempt.
Shortly after the shooting, video emerged of Trump walking into a nearby hospital. And thanks to an excerpt of new book REVENGE: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power by Alex Isenstadt, which was published recently by Vanity Fair, we now know more about what happened after the president got to the hospital – and unsurprisingly, he was impressed by the photos that were coming out.
After being taken to Butler Memorial Hospital, Trump was taken to the emergency room as patients were cleared out to make a secure wing of the ER. Despite walking in under his own power, Trump was put on a stretcher and wheeled through the hospital in only an undershirt and his suit pants. And it seems he was aware of just how big of a moment it was, telling his staff and doctors that the incident was “going to make some news.”
Trump was later taken to get a CT scan to check him for a possible concussion. The test came back clear, something Trump was apparently proud of – and something he wanted to use to troll his then-opponent, President Joe Biden:
“Can you give me a copy of these? Because I want to make sure I can show reporters that my cognitive function is 100 percent. You can’t say the same about Joe Biden.”
Just classic Trump. Always locked in.
Apparently he was given a CD with his test results, which he promised to release “at a later time.” But of course it ended up not mattering because just a couple weeks later Biden would drop out of the race after pressure from his own party due to his diminished cognitive function.
After watching Biden address the nation about the shooting, Trump asked to see the pictures that had been taken – and he was just as impressed by the photo of him raising his fist as the rest of the world was:
“Wow, that’s iconic. That’s the most American picture I’ve ever seen.”
He also had plans for his bloodied clothes when they were finally returned to him:
“This is going into the museum.”
There’s no doubt that the moment played into Trump’s 2024 election victory, showing off his strength and determination in the face of threats and providing a stark contrast with his Democrat opponents. And now, it’s got a permanent (at least for the next four years) spot in the White House.
