Picture of Trump and Putin Hangs in Renovated White House Room

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A framed photograph of former President Donald Trump standing with Russian President Vladimir Putin is now on display in the newly renovated Palm Room of the White House. The room usually serves as a lobby for visitors and has undergone modest changes, including the installation of three new chandeliers and marble floors.

Why it matters

The presence of the Trump-Putin photograph in the White House is likely to be controversial, as the relationship between the two leaders and the focus of their 2025 summit in Alaska on the war in Ukraine were highly scrutinized. The renovations to the White House under the Trump administration were also notable for their scale and changes to historic spaces.

The details

The photograph shows Trump and Putin posing side-by-side on a tarmac in Anchorage, Alaska on August 15, 2025, before they held a closed-door summit. The focus of the meeting was ending the war in Ukraine, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not present. Underneath the Trump-Putin picture is another photograph of Trump with one of his grandchildren at the NASCAR Daytona 500 in Florida.

• The photograph was taken on August 15, 2025.
• Construction on the renovations to the White House, including the new Palm Room, started last fall.