Array
Remember that bizarre official portrait of Barack Obama—standing stiffly in a black suit and gray tie, set against a blank white background? The 2022 painting by Robert McCurdy stirred some controversy when it was unveiled, and rightly so. At the time, I called it a perfect metaphor for Obama’s notorious narcissism. Of course he’d want his White House portrait stripped of any setting, context, or symbolism. Just him, front and center—because, in his mind, that’s all that matters.
Apparently, it was featured in the White House Entrance Hall:
Forever this portrait of @barackobama hanging in the @WhiteHouse will remind America of power of hope and change. pic.twitter.com/5sBqbZdOMF— Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) September 7, 2022
Why was it on display at the White House? Beats me. I get that it’s Obama’s official White House portrait and all, but doesn’t it belong in a service corridor or a janitor’s closet somewhere?
Well, guess what? The portrait was moved from its prime location on Friday, and this prime location is now being used for something so much better— a historic image capturing one of the most defining moments of the Trump presidency.
Flashback: Barack Obama’s Official White House Portrait Is the Perfect Metaphor for His Narcissism
The new portrait, unveiled Friday by the White House, shows President Trump in perhaps his most resolute moment: standing among Secret Service agents immediately after being shot in the ear during an assassination attempt, defiantly shouting « Fight, fight, fight! » It’s an image that perfectly encapsulates the fighting spirit that has defined his presidency.
