The official portraits of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were reportedly removed from the White House’s Grand Foyer last week, aides told CNN.
“White House tradition calls for portraits of the most recent American presidents to be given the most prominent placement, in the entrance of the executive mansion, visible to guests during official events,” the article stated.
However, following Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s recent visit to the White House, the Clinton and Bush portraits were placed in the Old Family Dining Room, according to the report.
“Designated the ‘small dining room’ or ‘private dining room,’ presidents and their families historically took all of their meals here before 1962,” the White House Historical Association said in 2015.
“President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Hoover were the exception – they called the space the ‘Breakfast room’ because they ate dinners in the State Dining Room,” the association noted.
The Bush portrait was replaced by that of William McKinley (R), and the Clinton portrait replaced by one of Theodore Roosevelt (R), sources who saw the paintings told CNN.
The White House website noted:
William McKinley was the 25th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1897, until his assassination on September 14, 1901, after leading the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War and raising protective tariffs to promote American industry.
…
With the assassination of President William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, became the 26th and youngest President in the Nation’s history (1901-1909). He brought new excitement and power to the office, vigorously leading Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy.
“The Old Family Dining Room is barely used in the Trump administration, aides said, and was taken off the list of locations visited during White House tours before the pandemic closed the executive mansion to the public,” the CNN report concluded.
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