Claim:
An image that circulated on social media in early August 2024 showed the official portrait of former U.S. President Donald Trump in the Colorado State Capitol.
Rating:
Fake ( About this rating? )
In early August 2024, an image allegedly showing the official portrait of former U.S. President Donald Trump in the Colorado State Capitol circulated on social media.
"Thinking about the official Trump portrait in the Colorado state capitol," read one X post ( archived ) with the image.
"Did someone edit it, I'm pretty sure I saw another one where his face was skinnier," one X user commented under the post, while another added "They say the canvas adds 10 pounds, but still…"
In short, because the photograph of Trump's portrait was edited to make his chin and face appear fuller, we have rated this image as "Fake."
We found the photograph of the authentic portrait of Trump on the Colorado Public Radio website . As shown in the screenshot below, Trump's chin and face do not appear as large as they do in the altered image circulating online.
(Colorado Public Radio)
The CPR article published in early August 2019, with the headline "Meet The Colorado Artist Who Paints The Presidents," said Trump's portrait in the state Capitol was unveiled Aug. 1, 2019:
A portrait of President Donald Trump has joined those of past presidents in the Colorado Capitol rotunda. Pranksters highlighted the absence of a Trump portrait last summer when they hung a portrait of Vladimir Putin in the vacant space. Colorado Senate President Kevin Grantham then started a crowdfunding campaign and raised $11,000 to pay for a portrait of Trump. Sarah Boardman, an artist from Colorado Springs, won the commission. She also painted Colorado's portrait of former President Barack Obama.
The Denver Post also reported on the Trump portrait on Aug. 1, 2019, writing that it was "now hanging with his predecessors in the third floor rotunda of the state Capitol, in the Gallery of Presidents."
(The Denver Post)
Below you can see a comparison of the edited photograph and the original one we sourced from the Denver Post article.
(X user @RaptorBreath, The Denver Post)
This isn't the first time we've covered a Colorado-related rumor. For instance, in March 2024, we investigated whether sports commentator Skip Bayless said of the University of Colorado football team under head coach Deion Sanders, "We are looking at the next Alabama dynasty." In December 2023, we looked at claims that Colorado Supreme Court Justice Monica Márquez was arrested on grounds of treason for barring Trump from appearing on the state's 2024 ballot.
Sources:
Baumann, Joella. "Meet The Colorado Artist Who Paints The Presidents." Colorado Public Radio, 5 Aug. 2019, https://www.cpr.org/show-segment/meet-the-colorado-artist-who-paints-the-presidents/ .
Liles, Jordan. "Skip Bayless Said Deion Sanders' Colorado Football Team Is 'the Next Alabama Dynasty'?" Snopes, 21 Mar. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/skip-bayless-colorado-dynasty/ .
PerryCook, Taija. "Was a Colorado Supreme Court Justice Who Ruled Trump Ineligible for '24 Ballot Arrested?" Snopes, 23 Dec. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/colorado-judge-arrested/ .
Post, Anna Staver |. The Denver. "President Donald Trump's Portrait Now Hanging at Colorado Capitol." The Denver Post, 1 Aug. 2019, https://www.denverpost.com/2019/08/01/donald-trump-portrait-unveiled-colorado-capitol/ .
Staver, Anna. "President Donald Trump's Portrait Now Hanging at Colorado Capitol." Canon City Daily Record, 1 Aug. 2019, https://www.denverpost.com/donald-trump-portrait-unveiled-colorado-capitol/ .
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