Politics and art are usually a messy mix, but the saga of the colorado capitol trump painting takes that to a whole new level. Honestly, if you walked into the Denver Gold Dome a year or two ago, you’d have seen a specific portrait of the 45th President hanging in the third-floor rotunda. Today? The story is a lot more complicated.
The original painting is gone. It didn't just fall off the wall; it was practically evicted after a social media firestorm that reached all the way to the White House.
The Stunt That Started It All
Before there was even a real painting, there was a prank. Back in 2018, the Colorado State Capitol had a glaring hole in its "Gallery of Presidents." Every commander-in-chief from George Washington to Barack Obama was there, but Donald Trump was missing. Why? Because the portraits aren't paid for by taxpayers. They’re funded by private donations, and at the time, the pot was sitting at zero dollars.
Seeing an opening, a progressive group called ProgressNow Colorado decided to have some fun. They sneaked a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin into the Capitol and set it on an easel right where Trump's face was supposed to be.
It worked.
The stunt went viral. Republican State Senator Kevin Grantham was less than amused, so he launched a GoFundMe to get the actual colorado capitol trump painting commissioned. He raised the $10,000 needed in just 32 hours.
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Sarah Boardman’s "Thoughtful" Portrait
The job went to Sarah Boardman, a Colorado Springs artist who had already painted the Capitol's portrait of Barack Obama. She spent four months working on the piece, aiming for what she called a "neutral" and "non-confrontational" look. When it was finally unveiled in August 2019, the mood was actually pretty bipartisan.
Boardman used a classical realist style to make sure it matched the rest of the gallery. She later told reporters that she wanted him to look like "another president on the wall," someone who would eventually just be part of the historical background.
But "neutral" wasn't what everyone saw. For years, the painting hung there without much fuss, until March 2025.
The Truth Social Meltdown
Everything changed on a Sunday afternoon when Donald Trump took to Truth Social. He wasn't just annoyed; he was livid. He claimed the colorado capitol trump painting was "purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before."
He didn't stop there. He took shots at Boardman’s talent, suggesting she "must have lost her talent as she got older," despite him liking her Obama portrait. He even blamed Colorado Governor Jared Polis for the "unflattering" image, even though the Governor has basically zero to do with which presidential paintings hang in the rotunda.
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"I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one." — Donald Trump on Truth Social, March 23, 2025.
Within 24 hours, the painting was down. Republican leadership in the Colorado Senate requested its removal, and it was carted off to storage at History Colorado.
The Replacement and the Golden Border
By July 2025, a new face appeared in the rotunda. The White House actually donated a replacement portrait to the Capitol. This one was painted by Vanessa Horabuena, an artist from Arizona known for her "speed painting" at Christian worship events.
This version is based on Trump's 2025 inaugural likeness. It’s got a bit more flair, too—Trump reportedly requested a golden border for the frame so it would "catch the light" and "glimmer."
Why the Rotunda is Empty (Again)
If you visit the Colorado State Capitol right now in 2026, you might notice something weird. The presidents are missing.
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Shortly after the drama with the colorado capitol trump painting, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee made a big decision. To celebrate Colorado's 150th anniversary of statehood (the Sesquicentennial), they voted 9-2 to temporarily remove the entire presidential gallery.
In their place, they’ve put up an exhibit featuring Colorado's own history and the 100 state lawmakers. It’s a bit of a cooling-off period. The committee is even debating whether they should replace the presidents permanently with portraits of Colorado’s governors.
What You Should Know If You Visit
If you're heading to the Denver Capitol to see the art, here's the deal:
- The Original is Gone: Sarah Boardman’s 2019 painting is in permanent storage. It's unlikely to see the light of day anytime soon.
- The New One is Temporary: The Horabuena portrait was only up for a few months before the whole gallery was cleared for the 150th-anniversary exhibit.
- The Gallery Location: It’s always on the third floor. Even if the presidents are gone for now, the Colorado Rose Onyx and the view of the dome are worth the climb.
Basically, the colorado capitol trump painting became a symbol of how even a quiet hallway of oil paintings can become a political lightning rod. Whether the presidents return in 2027 or get replaced by local governors is still up in the air.
If you want to see the current state of the "Gallery of Presidents" or check out the 150th-anniversary exhibit, the Colorado State Capitol is open to the public Monday through Friday. You can take a self-guided tour of the third-floor rotunda to see where the controversial portrait once hung. For those interested in the artistic side, you can also look up Sarah Boardman’s other works, including the Obama portrait, which remains highly regarded in the state’s collection.