Former White House photographer Pete Souza torched Donald Trump for banishing Barack Obama’s official portrait to a tucked-away corner of the presidential residence.
In an Instagram post Tuesday, Souza, photographer for President Ronald Reagan and President Obama, questioned whether the move was racially motivated. He explained the long-standing White House tradition of displaying the most recent presidential portraits in the Grand Foyer, then along the Cross Hall, and finally on the Grand Staircase.
“They are all prominently displayed so visitors during the White House public tours would see the most recent Presidents. (Other portraits like Lincoln and Washington are displayed prominently in the State Dining Room and East Room.),” he wrote.
Souza’s post asked, “Petty or racist?” before noting that, according to reports, Trump has moved Obama’s portrait “from the Grand Foyer (where it should be) to that hidden area at the top of the Grand Staircase.
“Thus it cannot be seen publicly on White House tours and cannot be seen by the White House staff,” he explained.
“Why was this done? Was it because President Obama lives rent free in the current occupant’s head? I’d say that’s pretty petty,” he added. “Or could there be another reason?”
CNN reported Monday that two unnamed sources confirmed Trump personally directed staff to stash the painting in the heavily restricted stairwell, accessible only to members of the first family, Secret Service agents, and select staff.
The move comes amid years of tension between Trump and Obama. Trump has accused Obama of treason over the 2016 election, claims Obama’s office has called “outrageous” and “bizarre.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
And this isn’t the only striking art choice in Trump’s second term. Weeks in, Trump’s historic mugshot—taken Aug. 24, 2023, after he surrendered at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on election-related charges—appeared in a frame just outside the Oval Office. The photo surfaced in the background of an image shared by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The image shows a scowling Trump in a dark blue suit, red tie, and white shirt, glaring into the camera with furrowed brows—a pose his former National Security Adviser John Bolton said was a calculated attempt to look like a “thug.”
