References to President Trump’s two impeachments have disappeared from the textual content describing his first time period beneath his portrait within the Nationwide Portrait Gallery on the Smithsonian.
His authentic portrait, a 2017 coloration shot by Matt McClain of The Washington Submit exhibiting a somber Trump with fingers folded, a purple tie vibrant in opposition to a black go well with jacket mixing into a good darker background, was changed final week with a black-and-white glowering Trump, his clenched fists jammed into the Resolute Desk within the Oval Workplace as he glares straight into the lens. The second portrait was taken by White Home photographer Daniel Torok in October 2025 and posted by Trump on his Fact Social platform.
Now, as a substitute of an outline of Trump’s first tenure capped by point out of his 2024 comeback, there may be clean area, except one counts the outlines of the signal that adorned the spot till not too long ago and a placard denoting his years in workplace, as The Washington Submit first reported. In distinction, the close by portraits of presidents from Joe Biden to Invoice Clinton are all accompanied by descriptions of their years in workplace, together with Clinton’s 1998 impeachment. President Andrew Johnson’s 1868 impeachment and Richard Nixon’s 1974 resignation are additionally intact.
“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,” Trump’s authentic portrait textual content reads. It additionally notes highlights, similar to his historic comeback with a nonconsecutive second-term win, a feat matched solely by Grover Cleveland in 1892, the nation’s twenty second and twenty fourth president.
In late Could 2025, Trump went after the portrait gallery with a thwarted try to fireplace Nationwide Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, who finally resigned. In August 2025 Trump ordered a evaluate of Smithsonian museums and exhibitions to make sure they replicate “American exceptionalism” and “alignment with American ideals” relatively than depict occasions as they occurred, which his administration apparently construes as bias.
A Trump impeachment reference was then eliminated “temporarily” from the “Limits of Presidential Power” part of Smithsonian’s American presidency exhibit. Smithsonian spokespeople insisted the administration had not pressured them to do it and that it will be restored.
Beneath The White Home’s tweet of the brand new portrait gallery photograph, the memes got here quick and livid: the desk changed by a walker; Trump changed by Kevin Spacey as “House of Cards” villain Frank Underwood; and even, “off script,” Trump at a podium again in 2015, flailing his decidedly irresolute, curled-up fingers in obvious mockery of a reporter with a incapacity.
