Governor's Animated Prank: A Colorado Tale

Colorado Governor Jared Polis is having some fun at Donald Trump's expense after the former president's portrait was removed from the state Capitol.

Following Trump's complaints that his painting hanging in Colorado's State Capitol was "purposefully distorted," Polis took to social media on April Fool's Day to unveil his own updated "official portrait"—a South Park animation style image photoshopped into a gold frame hanging on the wall of the Capitol.

"I've always been proud to support Colorado art," Polis wrote, alluding to South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who grew up in Colorado. "This portrait was an exciting opportunity to do exactly that while embedding my image into the fabric of Colorado's history. I'm proud of the final product and want to thank the artists for their artistic vision, and personally feel that I have never looked better."

Colorado Governor Trolls Trump With Animated Portrait After Removing Trump’s
President Donald Trump railed against the painting [right] in a Truth Social post. @realDonaldTrump via Truth Social

Polis' tongue-in-cheek response follows a controversy sparked by Trump's Truth Social rant, in which he criticized the artist's depiction of him and accused Polis of being responsible for its placement. In reality, the portrait had been commissioned by Colorado Republicans in 2019, and was promptly removed following Trump's complaint.

Colorado Governor Trolls Trump With Animated Portrait After Removing Trump’s
Mounting screws and a small plaque bearing the name of US President Donald Trump are all that remain on a wall in the Presidential Portrait Gallery where a portrait of Trump hung at the Colorado Capitol before the president complained about the image in a social media post. Jason Connolly/Getty Images

Polis is a vocal fan of the South Park series and issued an official proclamation naming August 10, 2022, as South Park Day. The April Fool's Day joke was an opportunity for Polis to dismiss Trump's accusations regarding his Colorado State Capitol portrait in a lighthearted way, though it's unclear if the president will be amused or offended as he has not yet responded publicly.

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