
President Donald Trump has once again broken from White House tradition, this time by moving former President Barack Obama’s official portrait to a spot far removed from public sight.
Traditionally, the two most recent presidential portraits are displayed prominently on either side of the Grand Foyer for visitors to see during tours and events. Since President Joe Biden’s portrait is still in progress, those spots had belonged to Obama and George W. Bush.

From the Grand Foyer to the Shadows
Back in April, Trump replaced Obama’s portrait with a painting of himself from the day of the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Obama’s portrait was then shifted across the foyer to where Bush’s had hung, while Bush’s was moved to another location alongside his father, George H.W. Bush.
Now, Obama’s painting has been moved again — and this time, it’s nearly invisible to the public.
On Monday, Aug. 11, a White House official confirmed to PEOPLE that the portrait has been removed from the Grand Foyer entirely and is now placed at the top of the Grand Staircase. This stairwell, which leads to the president’s private living quarters, is closed to visitors and partially blocked from view. Hung in a corner alongside portraits of Dwight D. Eisenhower and both Bushes — which are positioned lower — Obama’s image is, as CNN reported, “firmly out of view.”
According to insiders, Trump personally approves nearly every decorative change within the White House, no matter how minor. A spokesperson for Obama declined to comment on the matter.