In a snub to former President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump will reportedly flout the tradition of a sitting president unveiling an official portrait of his or her predecessor to hang in the White House.
NBC News reported on Monday that Trump does not plan to hold a ceremony to unveil Obama’s portrait.
This rejection of the tradition apparently goes both ways; unnamed sources told NBC News that Obama, who held the rite of passage for former President George W. Bush, does not wish to take part in the ceremony under Trump’s presidency.
Trump has escalated his attacks on his predecessor in recent weeks, falsely blaming him for the country’s COVID-19 testing crisis and peddling a conspiracy theory that baselessly accuses Obama of committing an undefined “political crime” (of which Trump has provided zero evidence or details).
The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment.
