Artist of Portrait Trump Hates Speaks Out

Sarah A. Boardman is the artist who painted the portrait of President Trump that was, until recently, hanging in Colorado's state capitol—and she says the hubbub surrounding the picture is hurting her business. Despite the fact that the portrait was commissioned, paid for, and approved by Republicans in the state in 2019, it was recently taken down at Trump's request after the president called it "truly the worst." His remarks, which included speculation that Boardman was perhaps losing her talent as she got older or else that she'd "distorted" the portrait, are "directly and negatively impacting" the business she's run for more than four decades, Boardman says, per the BBC.

"I completed the portrait accurately, without 'purposeful distortion', political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject, actual or implied. I fulfilled the task per my contract," the British-born artist says. But she says, per the Guardian, that her "intentions, integrity and abilities were, in my opinion, called into question" by Trump and that her business is now "in danger of not recovering." Meanwhile, late last month the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said Russian President Vladimir Putin had a portrait of Trump commissioned as a gift to the US president and that it is "beautiful," the Hill reports. (More President Trump stories.)