Washington evaluates his admiration for former presidents based on how well their paintings match his plan to redecorate the White House. or even the performance of the frames surrounding those portraits.
During a meeting with his Cabinet on Tuesday, Trump declared, “I am a frame person.” There are moments when I like the frames above the images.
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Trump concluded a meeting that lasted more than ninety minutes by describing how he personally redecorated the Cabinet Room, appearing to take great pleasure in selecting the images that were displayed. According to the president, he also asked everyone in the room if they thought he should repaint the room in gold leaf and assisted in selecting the draperies. (Members of the Cabinet believe he should.)
In fact, I was in the vaults for a while. We have a ton of amazing photos and artwork in the archives. Trump added, “And I picked it all myself.” I’m rather pleased with it.
“That meant a lot of time and effort and very little money,” the president added. He even recalled visiting the Secretary of State’s office and ordering the relocation of a grandfather clock to the White House.
Trump chuckled as he stated, “As president, you have the power if I go into the State Department, Department of Commerce, or Treasury if I see anything that I like, I’m allowed to take it.” He shared the story even though there is no evidence that Trump visited the State Department in public while Rubio was president.
Additionally, Trump pointed to each painting and discussed his thoughts on each former president. He began by pointing out the great “and continued by reiterating his regular compliments and making fun of the fact that he previously gave contributors overnight stays in the Lincoln bedroom in return for donations to his campaign.
Trump stated the following of a few former presidents:
Polk, James K. (1845–49):
We refer to the individual by that name. He was a real estate sort of man. People were unaware that he was only in office for one term. However, he was an excellent president. He did, however, give us the state of California, and I’m not sure if I should be doing this.”
Trump then disclosed that he may have chosen Polk’s photo because the frame of the portrait was nearly the same size as the frame around Jackson’s portrait, which he claimed was particularly attractive: “Pollock is actually a very good president who’s got the same frame that I needed, okay.”
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (1953–61):
An extremely underappreciated president. The Interstate (Highway) System was constructed. And until we arrived, he was, I suppose, the most difficult president. But since I don’t want to be too harsh on it, I don’t mind giving up that crown. We wish to be kind, though. However, when it came to immigration, he was the most strict president. At the boundaries, he was extremely powerful. Extremely powerful. Additionally, you may be overly strong at times. He was strong at the borders and, over a specific period of time, there was so strong that practically every . And we must keep that in mind. We must cooperate. We must keep that in mind. However, I believed he should have a place on this level since he was an excellent president, general, and all-around leader.”
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (1933–45):
He was, to put it mildly, not a Republican. However, he was a four-termer, you know. He was. As you can see, there are numerous ramps outside. You have a ramp. People comment, “It’s a strange location for a ramp.” He was to blame. He was confined to a wheelchair. But what a wonderful man he was.
Lincoln, Abraham (1861–65):
Honest is over there. And, awful, the photo was in his bedroom. And since conflicts typically concluded here, we believed that this would be a highly significant location. I won’t say that wars have been declared. I’m going to declare that wars are over. Alright? We’ll be optimistic. And it is the photo of Abe Lincoln from his bedroom, which he kept for a very long time. His favorite self-portrait was that one. Additionally, the Lincoln Bedroom is well-known. You recall the time Bill Clinton had it and rented it out to others. That’s not what we do.
Adams, John (1797–1801):
They were the White House’s original residents. 1800. And the first people to live there were Mrs. Adams and John Quincy Adams. Abraham Lincoln is shown attempting to broker peace between them as they gaze at one another.
(Trump is right when he says that the first couple to live in the White House in 1800 were the country’s second president and his wife. However, he was wrong about who the sixth president was and who was the son of John and Abigail. He was in office from 1825 to 1829.
McKinley, William (1897–1901):
McKinley was a great president who never got credit. In fact, they changed the name of and I changed it back because he should have been the people of Ohio, he was the governor of Ohio the people of Ohio were very happy when I did that. They were reportedly deeply offended. They removed Mount McKinley’s name. That was done by Obama a little while ago and I had to change it back. I changed it back. He actually was a great president. He was a president. He was the tariff, the most, I guess since me I think I’m gonna outdo him but he was a . He believed that other countries should pay for the privilege of coming into our country and taking our jobs and taking our treasure. That s the way he explained it. They took our jobs and they took our treasure. And for that he should pay. And he made them pay. And he built a tremendous fortune.
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Will Weissert covers the White House for The Associated Press.
