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Jared Polis (L); Donald Trump (R)
Jared Polis' April Fools joke paid homage to a famous show set in Colorado — while mocking Trump.
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has responded to Donald Trump's complaints about his portrait with the perfect April Fool's Day gag.
Republicans in the state recently ordered that a portrait of the president be taken down after Trump complained online that he thought it was unflattering. The Colorado GOP had raised more than $10,000 through GoFundMe to commission the oil painting.
“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 on Truth Social. "The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one of me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older.”
Trump went on to say that he "would much prefer not having a picture than having this one," then blamed Polis, an out gay man, for his portrayal while ordering the portrait be taken down.
"Many people from Colorado have called and written to complain. In fact, they are actually angry about it!" Trump continued. "I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime, in particular with respect to Tren de Aragua, which practically took over Aurora (Don’t worry, we saved it!), to take it down. Jared should be ashamed of himself!"
Sarah Boardman, the artist behind the portrait, has not spoken publicly since the it was taken down, but she told The Colorado Times Recorder a few months before it was unveiled that she aimed to portray Trump with a “serious, nonconfrontational, thoughtful” expression.
In honor of April 1, April Fools' Day, Polis posted a new official portrait of himself that featured "Colorado art" — his likeness in the style of the hit animated comedy series South Park, which takes place in Colorado.
"No one likes an unflattering photo or painting of themselves, which is why I went in a different direction for my official portrait," Polis wrote, mimicking Trump. "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. 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."
It is not yet clear when Colorado Republicans will be replacing Trump's portrait, nor who they will be commissioning for how much. The Democrats recently said, via The Associated Press, that “if the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them."
