Trump’s legacy reflected in war over his portrait
As Americans marked Presidents’ Day — a holiday traditionally reserved for honoring the nation’s leaders, their legacies and the arc of presidential history — Donald Trump found himself in the middle of a growing controversy over how his legacy is framed in one of the country’s most revered cultural institutions.
Trump reportedly requested that the Smithsonian Institution commission a new official presidential portrait that would encapsulate both his nonconsecutive terms — a departure from the usual practice of unveiling an official painted portrait only after a president leaves office. An earlier portrait commissioned after his first term, painted by the late Ronald Sherr, was never displayed because Trump was running for reelection when it was completed. But now, Trump wants a different image to represent his full tenure.
At the same time, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has already stirred debate by replacing Trump’s previous photographic portrait in the “America’s Presidents” exhibition and stripping wall text that noted his two impeachments and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The new display features a stark image by White House photographer Daniel Torok with minimal context, a contrast to other presidents’ portraits, which still include fuller biographical captions.
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Critics argue that these moves reflect more than aesthetic preference. Trump’s past executive actions have called for a review of Smithsonian exhibits to eliminate “divisive or partisan narratives,” part of a broader effort to reshape how cultural institutions portray American history ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Supporters counter that updating and simplifying labels or commissioning a new portrait is within normal institutional prerogatives, especially given Trump’s unprecedented two nonconsecutive terms.
But on Presidents’ Day, when visitors across the country reflect on the meaning of leadership and legacy, the debate over Trump’s portrait — and the influences behind it — highlights a deeper struggle: who gets to write the story of America’s past, and how much political preference should shape public memory.
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