US President Donald Trump has been gifted a new portrait from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin – while trashing an existing painting of him as “truly the worst”.The new portrait has not been shown publicly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described it as a “personal gift”, adding that only Putin himself could disclose further details. Meanwhile, Trump took to Truth Social to criticise an earlier picture of him that hung in the Colorado State Capitol building until it was removed on Monday.The US president has paid close attention to cultivating his image, and made headlines in January by unveiling an official portrait that was variously described by critics as serious or ominous.Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed receipt of the new work from Moscow, saying he had been asked to transport it back to Washington. He described the work as a painting – a “beautiful portrait” by a “leading Russian artist” – but gave no further critique. Trump was “clearly touched by it”, he added.The gift was confirmed by Peskov, as American and Russian negotiators again sat down for talks in Saudi Arabia as part of Trump’s drive to end the war in Ukraine. The gift highlights the diplomatic thaw between the two nations after Trump returned to the White House in January. In an interview, Witkoff – who met Putin 10 days ago – said the Russian president had been “gracious”. Putin told him, he added, that he had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt against him last year.That attempt on Trump’s life – which took place during a rally in Pennsylvania – gave rise to perhaps the most iconic image of him ever produced. AP photographer Evan Vucci caught the moment that Trump, with a bloody ear, held up a defiant fist and told supporters to “fight, fight, fight”. That image was further mythologised by Trump, who used it to adorn the cover of a book. Trump is yet to publicly comment on the image that was sent by Putin – but he left no doubt of the kind of portraiture he liked and disliked when deliverin …
