Donald Trump Moves Barack Obama’s White House Portrait to Hidden Stairwell in Another Breach of Protocol

President Donald Trump broke tradition by moving former President Barack Obama’s official portrait away from public view again.

Usually, the two most recent presidents’ portraits hang in the Grand Foyer of the White House, where visitors can see them during tours and events. Since President Joe Biden’s portrait is not finished yet, the two most recent portraits are of Obama and George W. Bush.

In April, Trump swapped Obama’s portrait with a painting of himself from the day of the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Obama’s portrait was moved to where Bush’s painting used to hang, and Bush’s portrait was moved to another spot next to his father, George H.W. Bush.

Now, Obama’s portrait has been moved again to a less visible spot.

On August 11, a White House official told PEOPLE that Obama’s portrait was taken out of the Grand Foyer entirely. It is now placed at the top of the Grand Staircase, which leads to the president’s private living area. Visitors are not allowed there, and the painting is hard to see because it hangs in a corner, far from public view. It shares the wall with portraits of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Bush presidents, but theirs hang lower and are easier to see.

CNN reported that Obama’s portrait is “firmly out of view” for visitors. People inside the White House say that Trump approves almost all changes to its decoration, no matter how small.

A spokesperson for Obama did not comment on the change.

President Trump is known for making changes to the White House, which is both a home and a museum.

Early in his presidency, a framed New York Post cover showing his mug shot was hung just outside the Oval Office. He also added many historic paintings on the walls around his desk.

In June, when Hillary Clinton’s portrait was removed from the East Wing, Trump replaced it with a portrait of former First Lady Patricia Nixon and a painting showing the American flag over his face, done by an artist called “MAGA Angelo.”

It’s normal for presidents to rearrange art when they take office, but public areas of the White House usually honor American history.

The Wall Street Journal reported in April that Trump asked his cabinetmaker from Mar-a-Lago, John Icart, to add gold decorations throughout the White House. This included gold carvings on the Oval Office fireplace, a gold Trump crest on a doorway, and gold coasters with his name.

Recently, Trump also covered the White House Rose Garden lawn, which was made during President John F. Kennedy’s time. He announced plans to build a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom to expand the White House complex.