Painter brushes Trump into seat at select club of GOP presidents
Finally, a portrait of President Donald Trump he actually liked.
In a framed image captured in the background of a “60 Minutes” interview at the White House, Trump sits among Republican presidents from the past century and a half, looking as if he had just made a wisecrack that drew laughter from the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon.
This depiction of Trump boasts a lean physique and flashy smile.
Andy Thomas, 61, the artist behind the work, said he received a call a few weeks ago from Trump, who expressed his delight with the painting. He had received a large print as a gift from Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
“One thing he specifically mentioned was he didn’t usually like portraits of himself,” Thomas said Tuesday. “But he said that he really liked that one.”
After viewers spotted the whimsical painting Sunday, when the interview aired, the image and the artist behind it received the burst of news reports and memes.
Issa, who considers Thomas a friend, gave Trump the framed print this past summer, the congressman’s spokesman said. Issa has two of Thomas’ paintings in his own office.
In the painting on Trump’s wall, titled “The Republican Club,” the president — with a soft drink — sits with a gaggle of past presidents at a private club. Ronald Reagan smiles broadly. Theodore Roosevelt puts his foot on a chair as if he’s in a Wild West saloon. Even Richard Nixon, who resigned in shame, gets a seat and a full glass of red wine.
Thomas, from Carthage, Mo., said he likes to polish the appearance of his subjects, while still making them look like themselves. Although he was hesitant to speculate on Trump’s psychology around the painting, he said he expects the president appreciated holding court with the likes of Abe Lincoln.
Perhaps it made Trump feel a part of a special clique.
“When they first get there, they probably don’t feel like they belong,” Thomas said.
The White House press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the painting.
Although he leans libertarian, Thomas said he supports Trump. But his works don’t focus exclusively on Republicans. Aside from three paintings of Republican presidents across history, he has created images of Democratic presidents acting chummy as well.