The Politics of Presidential Portraiture

Subscribe to our free e-letter!

Webform

I agree to be emailed

The Politics of Presidential Portraiture

WikiCommons

The Great Hall of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. License.

The White House’s recent push to reshape President Donald Trump’s image at the National Portrait Gallery raises questions about who gets to write history and who gets to erase it. A series of interactions between the current administration and this particular Smithsonian institution during the past year has made clear the extent to which Trump is invested in curating his own national story.

When the President announced his intention to fire National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet in May 2025, among the grievances against her was the inclusion of references to impeachments in his portrait’s wall inscription. Sajet resigned shortly thereafter, but it took several more months for the label to be swapped out with another. While the original noted that Trump was, “impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection,” the replacement merely states the portrait’s title and artist. A copy of the former remains on the museum’s website.

WikiCommons

The most recent portrait of President Trump installed in the National Portrait Gallery. License.

The National Museum of American History likewise altered wall labels with details of Trump’s impeachments last year. Meanwhile, President Bill Clinton’s portrait inscription still states that he was impeached for lying under oath. Trump has since requested that the Smithsonian share information on exhibitions and programming under the threat of withdrawn funding.

Late in 2025, the President requested a change to his image in the National Portrait Gallery’s America’s Presidents exhibition as well. The portrait installed after Trump’s first presidency that was taken by Washington Post photographer Matt McClain was replaced with one by White House photographer Daniel Torok. In it, the President leans with balled fists against the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, staring into the lens with stark intensity.

Since the 1990s, sitting presidents have installed photographic self-portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, which are then replaced with painted portraits after their term. Trump’s first-term portrait by the late artist Ronald Sherr was never unveiled to the public. Presumably, another will be commissioned following this term.

WikiCommons

Exterior of the National Portrait Gallery. License.

In the meantime, the White House has suggested the installation of a new “fan art” display with images of Trump created by Americans. The idea arose after the Acting Chief of Protocol of the Department of State and the White House photographer toured the National Portrait Gallery on December 19. Although the Smithsonian has not received a formal proposal for the display yet, if the past is anything to go by, it will only be a matter of time before the museum includes a dedicated exhibition of Trump art.

All of this suggests that the Smithsonian is becoming as much of a political institution as a cultural one. When history becomes negotiable, galleries cease to function as a vessel of the past and become a funhouse mirror of the present.

About the Author