U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered the relocation of presidential portraits, including that of Barack Obama, from prominent display areas in the White House to a section hidden from public view.
According to CNN, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, Obama’s official White House portrait was moved from the Grand Staircase, a location seen by more than a million visitors each year, to the top of the same staircase, in a space leading to the president’s private residence.
Highlights
- President Trump moved Obama's portrait from the Grand Staircase to a private, restricted area unseen by public tours.
- Portraits of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush were also relocated to the private staircase area near the residence.
- Trump has recently accused Obama of treason and shared a fake AI video of Obama being arrested.
The area is restricted to the first family, Secret Service, and select staff members, meaning it is now out of sight for public tours.
Trump has reportedly relocated Obama’s presidential portrait to a section hidden from public view
Image credits: Ricky Carioti/Getty Images
The portrait, painted by Robert McCurdy in 2018, had already been relocated once this year.
In April, it was moved across the Grand Foyer and replaced by a painting of Trump in the aftermath of his April 2025 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Portraits of former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush were also moved to the same private staircase area, sources told CNN.
As per White House protocol and precedent, portraits of the most recent American presidents are to be given prominent placements to be displayed for visitors on tours and guests during official events.
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The decision reflects the tense relationship between Trump and his predecessors. Trump recently accused Obama and former administration officials of committing treason during the 2016 election.
“They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody’s ever imagined, even in other countries,” Trump said at a White House meeting last month.
Obama’s spokesperson called these allegations “outrageous,” “bizarre,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”
The tensions have been further fueled by recent political moves. Last week, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into claims that the Obama administration fabricated intelligence about Russia’s interference in the election.
This investigation does not mean charges are imminent.
Trump has also had a strained history with the Bush family. The elder Bush, who died in 2018, called Trump a “blowhard” and supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.
George W. Bush has been described by Trump as a “failed and uninspiring” president.
The relocation of the portraits is not without precedent during Trump’s time in the White House.
Trump recently accused Obama of committing treason
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
During his first term, Trump removed portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush from the Grand Foyer, replacing them with depictions of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
White House portraiture is a long-standing tradition, formalized in the early 1960s under first lady Jacqueline Kennedy and funded by the nonprofit White House Historical Association.
Before that, portraits were commissioned less formally, often funded by Congress or private donors.
In the modern era, it has become customary for sitting presidents and first ladies to host unveiling ceremonies for their predecessors, inviting former staff, family, and dignitaries to attend.
Sources told CNN that Trump is directly involved with nearly all decorative changes in the White House, big or small.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
This change is one of the several aesthetic changes Trump has made to the White House, including adding large flagpoles, updating the Rose Garden, and adding numerous gilded gold furnishings to the Oval Office.