Politics - News Analysis

Obamas’ Official Portraits Set for White House Unveiling After Trump Snub

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to host former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama at the White House next week to do something that Joe Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump childishly refused to do — unveil the official portraits of the former first couple.

This is a long-held tradition at the White House that has been going on since George Washington’s time. But Trump doesn’t care about tradition if he’s jealous of someone, which he clearly is of Barack Obama.

The Daily Mail reports this means it has been over a decade since a first-term predecessor to the event, which is set to take place on Wednesday. These portraits differ from the modernist portraits of the Obamas that were unveiled in 2019 inside the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

Oh decorum, you’ve been missed.

The last modern ceremony was held in 2012 when the Obamas invited former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush.

“We may have our differences politically, but the presidency transcends those differences,” Obama said at the time.

But Trump has not taken any steps to join the bipartisan ex-presidents’ club, whose living members are Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Trump also famously declined to attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Former Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Bush all attended. Carter, 96 at the time stayed home due to COVID concerns, with Biden visiting the former President and his wife Rosalynn at their home in Plains, Georgia in April 2021.

Trump was also famously stubborn about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and refused to get it alongside the ex-presidents.

Former deputy press secretary and deputy communications director under Trump, Brian Morgenstern, remembered in a recent book that someone suggested Trump invite the former presidents to all receive their vaccines together “in a show of unity.”

Different parties, different ideas, different policies…all smiles and grace.

Morgenstern and another staffer were given the job of suggesting this to Trump in his private quarters. He was not thrilled.

“He made a face that conveyed, shall we say, a healthy skepticism,” Morgenstern wrote.

“He said ‘I’ll get the shot. Do they want me to get the shot? I’ll get the shot.’ But regarding the event with the former presidents, he said ‘Nah, I’m a different kind of a guy, ya know?”

Too bad we all had to find that out the hard way.

meet the author

Megan has lived in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida and she currently lives in Central America. Living in these places has informed her writing on politics, science, and history. She is currently owned by 15 cats and 3 dogs and regularly owns Trump supporters when she has the opportunity. She can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GaiaLibra and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/politicalsaurus

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