President Obama’s official portrait has been moved from public view in the White House

President Donald Trump and his administration appear to be changing everything from policy to the White House decor.

Apparently, not even presidential portraiture is safe from the ongoing socio-political tensions. Once a striking focal point of the White House’s Grand Foyer, the official portrait of former President Barack Obama has been quietly and conspicuously relocated to a far less visible spot: the top of the Grand Staircase, tucked away in a corner that only the first family, Secret Service, and select staff can see.

According to CNN, this isn’t just a redecorating whim; it’s part of a broader reshuffle that has also sidelined portraits of former Presidents George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush, two figures who have had their own tense history with Trump. The decision breaks a long-standing White House tradition of typically placing portraits of recent presidents in prime view for dignitaries and public tours, symbolizing continuity and respect for the office.

Photos obtained by CNN show Obama’s portrait, by artist Robert McCurdy, hanging at the landing to the private residence, an area firmly off-limits to the thousands of visitors who pass through the White House each year. One source familiar with the decision reportedly explained that the president has been deeply involved in even the most minor changes to the residence’s aesthetic.

Now, this is not the first time Obama’s portrait has been displaced. Back in April, it was removed from its prominent spot and replaced with a painting commemorating Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

Currently, there’s no portrait of President Joe Biden, as it is still a work in progress. However, the repositioning of Obama’s image feels far from incidental. It comes as Trump has renewed attacks on his predecessor, most recently accusing him, without evidence, of “treason” related to the 2016 election. Obama’s office fired back in a rare public statement, calling the claims “outrageous,” “bizarre,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”

In an administration where optics often speak as loudly as policy, the relocation of a portrait feels like a political statement, framed and hung firmly out of sight.

Neither the White House, the White House Historical Association, nor Obama’s organizations have responded to the news.