The National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC has removed a placard that referred to Donald Trump’s two impeachments and his supporters’ January 6 attack on the US Capitol, according to multiple news reports.
The museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, removed the text when it replaced an old portrait of Trump with a new image of him standing in the Oval Office with a scowl and his fists on the desk.
“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,” the former caption stated.
In May, Trump said he had fired the gallery’s director, Kim Sajet, describing her as a “highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position”. The museum’s board of regents rejected the attempt, citing its control over personnel decisions, but Sajet ultimately resigned.
The National Portrait Gallery did not respond to a request for comment.
The text removal appears to be the latest example of the president trying to exert control over the Smithsonian and change how the public remembers the Capitol riot.
In July, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History removed references to the two impeachments. Trump also signed an executive order in March stating that the administration would prohibit the Smithsonian from spending money “on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy”.
Trump has been particularly thin-skinned about portraits of himself. Last year he complained publicly about a painting of him in the Colorado state capitol, describing it “purposefully distorted” and “truly the worst”; months later, a new painting hung its place.
In September, he added a “Presidential Walk of Fame” to the exterior of the White House, which featured portraits of each previous commander-in-chief – except Joe Biden, in whose place Trump installed a photo of an autopen signing Biden’s name, a reference to Trump’s slander that Biden was not the one making decisions and signing bills at the White House.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the National Portrait Gallery placard “has been replaced with one whose caption is so short that the outline of the old sign was visible on the wall beneath it, simply noting Trump’s years in office”.
A gallery spokeswoman, Concetta Duncan, told the Post that the museum is “exploring” less descriptive “tombstone labels” for some new exhibits and displays, and that Trump’s portrait in the popular exhibition has changed before.
The previous portrait showed Trump with a serious face, standing with his hands in front of him. The caption also included details about events from his first term, such as the appointment of three supreme court justices and the development of Covid-19 vaccines.
