President Donald Trump went to lengths to track down a painting showing him having a diet coke with Abraham Lincoln and several other U.S. presidents, and it's now hanging in the White House, as was seen on Sunday’s “60 Minutes” interview.
During the CBS interview with Lesley Stahl, Trump discussed a range of topics including the economy, China and Russia and “fake news,” but the attention of many viewers was painting hanging in the background – an image captured and widely shared across social media.
“The Republican Club” shows the 10 Republican presidents sitting and standing around a table, having a drink. They include Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, both George Bushes, Gerald Ford and Dwight Eisenhower.
While all this was unfolding on Sunday, the artist Andy Thomas remained oblivious while watching football, until his wife told him, Time reported.
“I was ecstatic,” he said. “To find out it’s actually hanging is really a treat.”
Thomas created the “The Republican Club” earlier this year along with “The Democratic Club,” according to the artist’s website.
When Trump first saw “The Republican Club,” he was so impressed he personally pressed Thomas for a copy.
The artist was stunned to meet Trump, who asked him how he was doing as the president and what his thoughts were on the Senate race between Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and Republican Josh Hawley, Time noted.
Recalling their introduction, Thomas said Trump revealed how he did not like most of his portraits.
“And he’s right. He’s hard to paint,” Thomas told Time. “There’s some bad ones out there.”
The key for the successful painting was in Trump’s smile, he said.
“Trump has that one thing where he sticks his chin up and smiles really big, and it’s great for a caricature but not necessarily flattering to him,” he said. “I had to find a photo where it looked like he’s actually heard something funny, so it looks like a genuine smile.”
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