The Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery revealed President Trump’s new photographic portrait, but also removed most of the adjoining text that mentions his two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
The White House shared a photo of the updated “America’s Presidents” exhibit across its social media accounts on Saturday, while Trump himself also touted the new portrait on Truth Social. White House photographer Daniel Torok shot the image, which shows Trump in black-and-white with his fists on the resolute desk, looking into the camera.
“For the first time in history, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery has hung up an iconic photo taken by the White House honoring President Trump,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement to The Hill. “His unmatched aura will be seen and felt throughout the halls of the National Portrait Gallery.”
Trump’s new photo replaced one of former President Biden, which museum guests first see when entering the exhibit. Guests visiting the exhibit in the opposite direction will see portraits of the presidents in chronological order.
Trump’s previous portrait, with his hands folded in front of him, was previously on the opposite side of the pillar where Biden’s portrait was located. Prior to the changes, Trump’s photo already had two small wooden plaques with the numbers “45” and “47,” reflecting his two nonconsecutive terms. Only former President Grover Cleveland has two similar plaques, as he was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms until Trump returned to power in 2025.
Text beside Trump’s previous portrait included, “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials,” the Post wrote.
The Hill reached out to the National Portrait Gallery for comment about the text’s removal.
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The placard was replaced with a short one that only notes Trump’s years in office, the Post reported. Other portraits throughout the gallery include text highlighting events during each president’s time in office. Former President Clinton’s text still includes language about his impeachment.
National Portrait Gallery spokeswoman Concetta Duncan told the Post that the museum was looking at less descriptive “tombstone labels,” which are detail-light signs that give only essential information about works on display.
It remains unclear if the change was at the direction of the administration, though changes to the gallery were expected to be made with Biden’s exit and Trump’s return last year.
Prior to his return to the White House, the gallery featured a photo of Trump ahead of his inauguration. The photo was taken in 2019 by photographer Pari Dukovic, on assignment for Time magazine. It shows the Trump sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. The photo was displayed from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11.
Early last year, Trump signed an executive order seeking to remove “ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history” from the Smithsonian’s museums, National Parks, monuments and memorials. Trump also fired former National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, who he accused of being “highly partisan.” Kevin Gover now serves as acting director.
The National Museum of American History in August removed part of its presidents exhibit that mentioned Trump’s two impeachments. The exhibit, “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden,” briefly stated that “only three presidents have seriously faced removal.” A Smithsonian spokesperson told The Hill at the time that it was a “short-term” change.
“Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the Impeachment case back to its 2008 appearance,” the spokesperson said.
The museum quickly said it would restore the exhibit “in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history.”
