Vladimir Putin gave the US President Donald Trump a "personal gift" during a meeting with Washingtonʼs special representative Steve Witkoff last week.
This is reported by Axios and BBC.
While Donald Trump criticized his portrait at the Colorado State Capitol, Witkoff described the new one as a “beautiful” painting of the US president by a “leading Russian artist”. The portrait was not shown publicly. However, the special envoy said Trump was “clearly moved”.
Portraits are a major part of Trump’s brand. In January, he made headlines with the release of an official portrait that critics have variously described as serious or sinister. On the campaign trail, Trump frequently used his most iconic photo, taken after an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, in which he raised a fist with a bloody ear and urged supporters to “fight, fight, fight”.
The fact that Putin gave Trump a new portrait is indicative of the diplomatic thaw between the two countries following Trumpʼs return to the US White House.
- The day before, on March 24, Trump asked Colorado Governor Jared Polis to remove his portrait from the state capitol because he thinks it looks scary.
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