This is another episode of Vintage Pettiness. Donald Trump apparently felt threatened by the portraits of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, so he had them taken off the walls and stashed in a closet used to store old tablecloths and hung pictures of William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt in their stead. He didn’t know who they were, undoubtedly, and so he figured nobody else would either, and at least it wasn’t his “rivals” or competitors on the walls. But video taken recently during a Black History Month musical performance indicates that the portraits have returned to their rightful spots. Daily Mail:

Trump moved the official portraits of his predecessors out of the Grand Foyer in July 2020 to the Old Family Dining Room, a small room off the state dining room used to store unused tablecloths and furniture.

But in a video posted online of the St. Augustine Gospel Choir singing at the White House in honor of Black History Month, the portrait of Bush can be seen behind the pianist and the portrait of Clinton is visible behind a wide shot of the choir singing in the cross hallway.

The choir members are scattered throughout the state rooms on the main floor of the executive mansion, wearing face masks and social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic, as they sing a mix of gospel hymns.

The portraits and other White House decorations can be seen as the camera cuts between singers.

Official portrait of President Bill Clinton

Official portrait of President George W. Bush
Nice to see you out of the mothballs, guys. It’s kind of amazing Trump didn’t draw mustaches on you with his sharpie. That shows surprising restraint on his part.
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5 COMMENTS

  1. The Bidens are expressing simple decency in their occupancy of the White House. Kudos to the choir, too. I bet the music was great.

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