President Donald Trump has directed White House staff to relocate the official portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush from prominent public display areas to a restricted stairwell where visitors cannot view them, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The Obama portrait has been moved to the top of the Grand Staircase at the landing entrance to the private residence, an area heavily restricted to family members, Secret Service agents, and select White House staff. The photorealistic Robert McCurdy painting of the 44th president is now positioned in a corner, firmly out of view from the thousands of visitors who tour the White House daily.
The portraits of both Bush presidents have also been relocated to the same staircase area. This marks the second time Obama’s portrait has been repositioned since Trump took office. In April, the portrait was moved across the Grand Foyer and replaced with a painting depicting Trump raising his fist after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.
White House protocol and precedent established in the early 1960s under First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy calls for portraits of the most recent presidents to receive prominent placement in the entrance of the executive mansion, visible to guests during official events and visitors on tours. The formal tradition is privately funded by the nonprofit White House Historical Association.
Multiple sources indicated that Trump is directly involved with nearly everything related to White House aesthetics, both significant and minor changes. Former President Joe Biden’s official portrait has not yet been completed, making Obama’s and George W. Bush’s portraits the two most recent that should traditionally occupy the Grand Foyer’s prominent positions.
The portrait relocations occur amid escalating tensions between Trump and his predecessors. Trump recently accused Obama and members of his administration of committing treason during the 2016 election, prompting Obama’s office to call the claims “outrageous,” “bizarre,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently ordered prosecutors to begin a grand jury probe into allegations that top Obama administration officials manufactured intelligence about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has accused Obama of orchestrating what she termed a years-long coup against Trump, releasing declassified emails she claimed revealed a treasonous conspiracy.
Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush responded that nothing in the released documents undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate votes. Russia has denied claims of attempted election interference.
Long-simmering tensions also exist between Trump and the Bush family. The elder Bush, who died in 2018, called Trump a blowhard in a biography and voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. George W. Bush, whom Trump has characterized as a failed and uninspiring president, attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration but did not participate in the post-ceremony luncheon.
During Trump’s first presidential term, he replaced portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in the Grand Foyer, choosing instead to highlight William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. The current portrait maneuvers represent Trump’s latest aesthetic changes to the White House, which include extensive renovations and redecorating efforts.
Trump has undertaken numerous modifications to the executive mansion since returning to office, including paving over the historic Rose Garden’s grassy lawn and planning construction of a $200 million ballroom in the East Wing. He has also overseen extensive changes to the Oval Office, adding gold leaf accents, gilded carvings, and other decorative elements reflecting his personal aesthetic preferences.
The President acknowledged his direct involvement in White House design decisions during an August 11 press conference, stating that such work comes naturally to him as someone with real estate experience. He indicated that aesthetic improvements represent part-time activities driven by natural instincts for fixing and enhancing spaces.
In the modern era of White House portraits, presidents and first ladies traditionally invite their predecessors, former staff, and family members for unveiling ceremonies. Former White House curator Betty Monkman described such events as statements of generosity from current administrations toward outgoing ones. The tradition replaced what Monkman characterized as a relatively haphazard policy that existed prior to the 1960s.
The relocated portraits now hang alongside those of Dwight D. Eisenhower on the Grand Staircase, with Obama’s positioned highest in the corner and the Bush portraits placed lower on the same wall. This arrangement ensures the paintings remain largely invisible to White House visitors and guests attending official events.
