US President Donald Trump has criticised the official portrait of him hanging in Colorado’s state capitol, calling it “purposefully distorted” and demanding that it be taken down.

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“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.

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He went on to compare his portrait with Barack Obama’s, also painted by the same artist. “The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one [of] me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older,” he added.

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Portrait painted by British-born artist

The artist, Sarah A. Boardman, was born in the UK and previously painted Barack Obama’s portrait. She was chosen to paint Trump’s after the original presidential portrait artist, Lawrence Williams, passed away in 2003. Williams had completed all 43 earlier presidential portraits.

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Trump’s portrait, unveiled in 2019, was not commissioned by Colorado Governor Jared Polis. Instead, it was funded through a GoFundMe campaign launched by Republican Kevin Grantham, who was president of the state senate at the time. The campaign raised the $10,000 needed to complete the work.

Governor’s office responds

A spokesperson for Governor Polis told The Hill that the governor was “surprised” by Trump’s remarks and added that the office is “always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”

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Trump, however, said he would rather not have a portrait at all than keep the one currently displayed. According to him, many Colorado residents have contacted the state asking for the image to be removed or changed.

“I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime, in particular with respect to Tren de Aragua, which practically took over Aurora (Don’t worry, we saved it!), to take it down,” Trump said. “Jared should be ashamed of himself.”

Trump referenced Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang which was reportedly active in Aurora, Colorado last year. He recently used the Alien Enemies Act to deport nearly 300 suspected gang members.

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The gang was said to have taken control of an apartment complex in the area. Footage shared online appeared to show armed men in the building shortly before a shooting took place. The incident prompted Trump to visit Aurora during his campaign.

Past controversy over the portrait’s spot

Trump’s portrait had already drawn attention before it was even hung. In 2018, a temporary portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin was placed on an easel in front of the space where Trump’s painting was due to go.

The prank was pulled off by an activist from ProgressNow Colorado, with the help of Democratic legislative staffer Katie March, who later faced disciplinary action for allowing the activist into the building.

(With inputs from agencies)