Trump Hangs Putin Photo in White House, Just Steps From the Oval Office

A framed photograph of President Donald Trump alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin is now hanging inside the White House, according to a Bloomberg image taken Tuesday by photographer Kent Nishimura.

The photo is displayed in the Palm Room — a high-traffic space connecting the West Wing to the White House residence that primarily functions as a lobby, according to The New York Times. The placement is especially striking: the image hangs directly above a photograph of Trump with one of his grandchildren.

Given Trump’s well-documented fixation on images of world leaders, the choice appears deliberate rather than accidental.

HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte notes that during Trump’s first term, a framed photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was displayed in the West Wing. After Trump left office, the picture resurfaced — this time hanging in the bar at Trump Tower in New York.

Trump has also shown little reverence for portraits of his predecessors. Last year, he ordered staff to relocate former President Barack Obama’s official portrait to a low-visibility corner, and did the same with portraits of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush.

While President Joe Biden’s official portrait has not yet been completed, there is little reason to believe it will receive different treatment.

Just outside the Palm Room, Trump has installed what he calls a “Presidential Walk of Fame” — a display that appears designed less to honor past presidents than to mock any leader not named Donald Trump.