Gay Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) made an April Fool’s joke mocking Donald Trump’s recent upset about a presidential portrait that he found unflattering.
In late March, Colorado removed an oil painting of Trump, created by artist Sarah Boardman, from its state capitol after Trump complained about it looking “purposefully distorted.” State Republicans crowdfunded over $10,000 for the painting, and it was unveiled in 2019, the Associated Press reported.
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“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the state Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump wrote.
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Boardman said she had tried to create “a neutrally thoughtful and nonconfrontational portrait” of the president, noting that she expected people to express disagreement with its portrayal and his legacy. But after Trump complained, a bipartisan group of state legislators agreed to take down the painting.
Referencing the incident, Gov. Polis wrote in a Monday post on X, “No one likes an unflattering photo or painting of themselves, which is why I went in a different direction for my official portrait.”
The image he posted of his “portrait” showed his cartoon likeness done in the two-dimensional construction paper cut-out style of the adult animated series South Park (which takes place in Colorado).
“I’ve always been proud to support Colorado art, and this portrait was an exciting opportunity to do exactly that while embedding my image into the fabric of Colorado’s history,” Polis added. “I’m proud of the final product and want to thank the artists for their artistic vision, and personally feel that I have never looked better.”
No one likes an unflattering photo or painting of themselves, which is why I went in a different direction for my official portrait. I’ve always been proud to support Colorado art, and this portrait was an exciting opportunity to do exactly that while embedding my image into the… pic.twitter.com/SO6YIsuyg4
— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) April 1, 2025
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