Trump National Portrait Gallery Portrait Updated: Impeachment References Omitted

A fresh face but a filtered history. The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled a new portrait of Donald Trump in its iconic exhibition, yet the accompanying text has sparked a firestorm by removing all mentions of his impeachments.

The Controversy Behind the Trump National Portrait Gallery Portrait

As of January 12, 2026, the "America's Presidents" gallery features a new image of the 45th president, credited to photographer Rod Lamkey. While the visual update is standard practice, observers quickly noted that the biographical text no longer references the two impeachments that defined much of his administration's legislative and judicial narrative.

Institutional Neutrality vs. Historical Accuracy

Critics argue that the omission constitutes a form of historical sanitization, especially for a figure whose legal challenges are a matter of public record. According to museum sources, the changes were made to streamline the exhibit's narrative. However, historians warn that removing such significant context could set a precedent for how future US political history is presented to the global public within federal institutions.