A painting of "The Republican Club" is now hanging in the White House https://t.co/kOYVMutrrD pic.twitter.com/ARcgN5FO2u
— LoCoArtsCo (@locoartsco) October 15, 2018
This description could easily be interpreted as a fever dream, only it’s not. It’s “The Republican Club,” a painting, and known souvenir shop staple, by Andy Thomas — and a print of it is framed and hanging in Trump’s personal dining room at the White House.
The artwork’s prime placement was revealed to the world Sunday by “60 Minutes,” drawing widespread confusion and, of course, derision.
One of the people who seemed most eager to poke fun at the painting was late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel.
“This is just wonderful,” Kimmel said Monday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as a freeze frame from the president’s interview filled the screen. In the image, Trump and CBS reporter Lesley Stahl are talking to each other, and clearly visible on the wall is Thomas’s “The Republican Club.”
“This masterpiece is hanging at the White House,” Kimmel said, barely able to contain his laughter.
The host went on to point out crucial details in the artwork.
“There are only three living people in this painting,” he said. “Two of them hate Donald Trump. The other one is Donald Trump.” He added: “What a beautifully crafted piece of narcissism.”
But the roasting didn’t stop there.
“It’s hard to figure out which piece of insanity to focus on,” Kimmel said, “the fact that Richard Nixon and Abraham Lincoln, in this scenario, are friends or that Donald Trump weighs less than 200 pounds in this painting.”
In an interview Monday with The Washington Post’s Avi Selk, Thomas said he received a call a couple of weeks ago from Trump himself, who showered the artist with praise. It should be noted that the version of the painting hanging in the White House isn’t the original. “It’s a high-quality laser print,” said Thomas, who keeps the actual canvas at his studio in Carthage, Mo.
“I remember he said he’s seen a lot of paintings of himself and he doesn’t usually like them,” Thomas said. “He liked that one. He kept talking about my talent and this and that.”
When asked about Trump’s flattering look, Thomas said it was intentional.
“I wanted to make everybody look as good-looking as they can, and try to shed the pounds where I need to. Or smooth some lines,” he said. “I did it with every figure.”
Obviously, Kimmel noticed.
“Suffice it to say, it’s not very realistic,” the comedian said of the painting.
“You know what would be more realistic?” Kimmel said, as the screen cut from him to an edited version of the famed “A Friend in Need” painting, part of the “Dogs Playing Poker” series by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. Seated at the table among the canines is Trump, as depicted by Thomas.
“This painting makes more sense than the other one,” Kimmel said, talking over a cacophony of laughter, cheering and clapping.
Not quite finished with the president, Kimmel then turned his attention to another artistic rendering of Trump — five busts placed around New York City intended for dogs to pee on.
More from Morning Mix:
