Trump Redecorates White House Room with Side-by-Side Photos of His Youngest Granddaughter and Vladimir Putin

A framed photo of U.S. President Donald Trump standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin is now displayed inside the White House — positioned above a separate image of Trump with his youngest granddaughter.

PBS NewsHour White House correspondent Elizabeth Landers first drew attention to the new photos, noting they were hung in the recently renovated White House Palm Room, a passageway connecting the front of the White House to the Rose Garden.

The space has undergone noticeable changes. Where it previously featured softer lighting, potted plants, and a gray tiled floor, the room is now bright white, with a new chandelier and marble floors.

The Trump-Putin photo shows the two leaders together during an August 2025 summit at a U.S. military base in Anchorage, Alaska — Trump’s first meeting with Putin since returning to office. The summit was framed as an effort to advance discussions aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Putin has faced diplomatic isolation from many Western countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His visit also marked a historic first: he became the first Russian president to step foot in Alaska, a territory Russia sold to the United States in the 1800s.

During the 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly argued he could bring the war to an end quickly, at times claiming it could be resolved within a day of taking office. After the August summit, however, he acknowledged that no deal had been reached.

The Anchorage meeting also sparked backlash, including criticism of the optics of Trump’s welcome for Putin, who has been accused of war crimes related to the conflict in Ukraine.

Trump’s choice to display a keepsake from that summit inside the White House drew sharp reaction in Europe. Marko Mihkelson, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Estonia’s parliament, criticized the decision in a post on X.

On Monday, Jan. 19, Trump invited Putin to join a newly created Board of Peace, an international organization described as having a 20-point plan to help end global conflict.

Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that the invitation was delivered “through diplomatic channels,” adding that Putin was reviewing it and hoped to receive more details from the U.S. side.

Directly beneath the Putin photo in the Palm Room is a more personal image: Trump standing beside his youngest granddaughter, 6-year-old Carolina Dorothy Trump, the daughter of Eric and Lara Trump.

Carolina accompanied the president to the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16, 2025, where she wore a white MAGA cap.