President Donald Trump has ordered a significant — and symbolic — change to White House decor, moving the portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush to the top of the Grand Staircase. This location, while not entirely off-limits, is outside the view of the thousands of visitors who pass through the White House on daily tours. Sources told CNN that Obama’s portrait now hangs “at the top of the stairwell in a corner” and is “firmly out of view” for most guests.
The decision comes against a backdrop of growing hostility between Trump and his predecessors, particularly Obama. Trump has repeatedly accused the former president of committing treason by orchestrating the now-debunked Russia collusion narrative during the 2016 election. He has also been openly critical of the Bush political dynasty for years.
This is not the first time Trump has altered the placement of Obama’s portrait. Back in April, it was moved from the Grand Foyer and replaced by an image of Trump taken just moments after the attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania — the President standing defiantly, shouting “Fight, fight, fight!” while surrounded by Secret Service agents. That image has been described by Trump’s allies as one of the most powerful political photographs in modern American history.
Critics on the left have called the new portrait placement “petty,” but Trump supporters see it as fitting poetic justice. The Grand Staircase, while not on public tour routes, is a ceremonial space used during formal state events and the Presidential Entrance March. In other words, these portraits are now viewed only by top dignitaries and guests of state dinners — not the everyday public.
Conservative commentators have even joked about the possibility of Obama’s portrait being moved to increasingly obscure locations by the end of Trump’s second term, comparing it to the running gag in the movie Office Space where a worker’s desk is constantly relocated to less desirable spots. Some have imagined it eventually ending up in a White House basement or bathroom.
Trump’s renewed focus on Obama stems from recently declassified evidence released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. According to Gabbard, documents prove the Obama administration’s direct involvement in advancing the Russia collusion hoax after the 2016 election — an effort she called “the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history.” She cited a 2020 House Intelligence Committee report that lays out the case in detail.
“If you look at those papers, they have him stone cold,” Trump told reporters. “And it was President Obama. Look, he’s guilty. It’s not a question. I like to say, let’s give it time, but it’s there; he’s guilty. This was treason, this was every word you can think of.”
Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe has also called the scandal “the greatest scandal of a lifetime,” underscoring Trump’s argument that Obama is fortunate his portrait is displayed anywhere in the White House at all.
Whether the move is seen as political gamesmanship or a justified reshuffling of history’s gallery depends on one’s perspective. But one thing is certain — Trump has made it clear that the symbolism inside the White House will reflect his narrative, not that of his predecessors. And in his view, keeping Obama’s portrait “firmly out of view” sends exactly the message he wants.