Trump portrait artist says criticism damaging business

A likeness of Trump hanging in the Colorado state legislature attracted his ire

An artist whose official portrait of Donald Trump was publicly lambasted by the president said his comments are "directly and negatively impacting" her business, threatening its future.

British-born artist Sarah A Boardman painted Trump's official portrait for the Denver State Capitol Gallery of Presidents, where it hung for six years.

In January Trump described Ms Boardman's picture as "truly the worst" in a post on Truth Social, adding that it had been distorted and the artist had lost her talent as she aged. It was later removed.

In a statement Ms Boardman said her business was now in "danger of not recovering".

• Trump bemoans a portrait of him - but gets a new one from Putin

Artist Sarah A. Boardman also painted a portrait of Barack Obama, seen here displayed next to her painting of Donald Trump in the rotunda on the third floor of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Colorado on March 24, 2025

"President Trump is entitled to comment freely, as we all are, but the additional allegations that I 'purposefully distorted' the portrait, and that I 'must have lost my talent as I got older' are now directly and negatively impacting my business of over 41 years which now is in danger of not recovering," she said.

Ms Boardman was commissioned by the Colorado State Capitol Advisory Committee in Denver.

She said that for the six years the portrait hung in the Colorado State Capitol Building Rotunda, she had received "overwhelmingly positive reviews and feedback".

"Since President Trump's comments, that has changed for the worst," she added.

"I completed the portrait accurately, without 'purposeful distortion', political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject, actual or implied. I fulfilled the task per my contract."

The US president has paid close attention to cultivating his image, and made headlines in January by unveiling an official portrait that was variously described by critics as serious or ominous.

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed receipt of a new work from Moscow, saying he had been asked to transport it back to Washington. Witkoff described the picture as a "beautiful portrait" by a "leading Russian artist."