US President Donald Trump was outraged on Monday by a presidential picture of himself that was painted at the State Capitol in Colorado five years ago. He called the artwork "truly the worst" and accused the artist of "purposefully distorting" his look. 

Trump criticised the painting by artist Sarah Boardman on his social media platform, Truth Social. The artwork has been on display in the Colorado Capitol since 2019.  The artist also painted the Capitol’s portrait of former President Barack Obama. “Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves,” Trump wrote in his post. “The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older. In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.”

The 78-year-old said that many people from Colorado had contacted him by phone and letter to complain about the portrait. He urged Governor Jared Polis to remove it. “Jared should be ashamed of himself!” he wrote. A Polis representative told Denver-based 9NEWS that the governor was "surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork." “The State Capitol was completed in 1901 and features Rose Onyx and White Yule Marble mined in Colorado and includes portraits of former presidents and former governors,” the spokesperson said. “We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our Capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”

After making his statement, Trump posted his official presidential portrait from his first term along with his current portrait on Truth Social. Media reports say that in 2018, Colorado Republicans started a GoFundMe campaign and raised over $10,000 to commission an oil painting by Boardman.