- President Donald Trump is pushing the Smithsonian to create a new presidential portrait, despite his existing portrait by Ronald Sherr, which has not been publicly revealed, already being completed, with Trump officials claiming it only represents his first term.
- The National Portrait Gallery traditionally only hangs presidential portraits after a president has left office, but Trump's request comes as he campaigns for the 2024 election, with The New York Times suggesting there may be additional reasons for his refusal to accept the existing portrait, described by Sherr and Trump as showing him at his "most energized and presidential."
- Trump's handling of his official portraits and interactions with the Smithsonian have been marked by controversy, including his request for a golden border on his White House portrait and the revision of his biography to exclude mentions of his impeachments, with staff at the Smithsonian reportedly being "overly cautious" to avoid trouble, as noted by The Guardian and The New York Times.
EPSTEIN FILES NOTE
Donald Trump appeared in flight logs, black book, emails, and photos released by the DOJ.
