The White House and South Lawn are pictured in Washington, D.C. (Rudy Sulgan / Getty Images)
By C. Douglas Golden May 23, 2025 at 5:41am
It’s a heartwarming tribute to three of the most notable Republicans in the party’s history, recently hung in the West Wing of the White House — but it’s already got plenty of anti-Trump commenters on social media either furious or expressing their disdain through sarcasm.
The painting was initially shared on social media Thursday, notably by Shawn McCreesh of The New York Times.
“A new piece of artwork hanging on the walls of the West Wing,” the political feature writer noted in an X post featuring the painting:
A new piece of artwork hanging on the walls of the West Wing. pic.twitter.com/Gsh0aEBb2T
— Shawn McCreesh (@ShawnMcCreesh) May 22, 2025
The picture features Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump — all elected to two terms in the White House. (Lincoln, of course, would tragically serve just a few months of his second term before being the first U.S. president assassinated.)
According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, the piece of art was the handiwork of Dick Bobnick, a painter and illustrator, who titled it “Great American Patriots.”
The original painting is still for sale, Bobnick’s website said — although you can get reproductions of it, as well as coffee cups, beach towels, pillows and associated other merch featuring the image.
Do you approve of the new painting?
The Daily Mail noted that the artwork “is just the most recent move by Trump and his aides to give the White House a more Trumpian and MAGA aesthetic.”
For instance, last month, this piece of art — featuring the iconic image of Trump rising from the ground after surviving a would-be assassin’s bullet at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally — debuted in the White House, replacing a portrait of former President Barack Obama.
Some new artwork at the White House 👀 pic.twitter.com/l6u5u7k82T
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 11, 2025
Obama’s portrait was moved to a different part of the White House, by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s grand piano.
However, while plenty of people loved the new art, the move was met with derision by the predictable anti-Trump crowd on social media.
I would say that this portrait appears to be AI, but it’s obviously devoid of any level of intelligence at all.
— StageIVTesla.com (@StageIVTesla) May 23, 2025
The would both punch Trump in the nose.
— James Hattaway🇺🇸 🇺🇦 (@JAHattaway) May 22, 2025
They should hang it next to this one. pic.twitter.com/s3BUgow6Wi
— PresidentMusk (@Sorg4Freedom) May 22, 2025
Where are Hannibal Lector and Al Capone?
— Reilly Neill (@Reilly2020) May 23, 2025
Nevertheless, the White House has been more than happy to brush away criticism of its art or where it placed it.
After a portrait of the American flag over Trump’s face was placed in the bookseller’s entry of the East Wing — where portraits of first ladies usually hang — a White House staffer shooed away those who wanted to make it a controversy, calling it “another iconic portrait.”
“Trump was re-elected after two failed impeachment hoaxes, dozens of criminal charges, and multiple assassination attempts. He can hang art wherever he wants!” the staffer told the Daily Mail.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he’s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he’s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture
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