Donald Trump’s latest White House decor drew swift backlash Thursday after a reporter spotted framed photos of the president posing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Jacqueline Alemany, a Washington correspondent for MS NOW, posted images showing the Palm Room doors lined with photographs, including one of Trump and Putin and another showing Trump smiling and shaking hands with Xi.
The display quickly set off a wave of criticism online.
Brittany Martinez, executive director of Principles First and a Republican strategist, had strong words for the White House.
“Republican or Democrat, no U.S. president should display framed photos of dictators in the White House,” Martinez wrote on X. “It’s an insult to the democratic values that office is supposed to represent.”
“These are his colleagues, his counterparts, his fellow Big Men in History,” Georgia Journalist Jay Bookman wrote on social media. “Together they are carving up the world.”
HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Date sarcastically asked, “Mr. President, who is your favorite repressive dictator?”
Others on social media offered shorter reactions.
Journalist Andrew Donaldson called the display “disgraceful,” while X user Jacques Mahoffer told his followers it was “appalling.”
Yvanna D. Cancela, chief of staff to Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) and a former Biden White House adviser, reached a similar conclusion on Thursday: “This is pretty insane.”
Republican or Democrat, no U.S. president should display framed photos of dictators in the White House. It’s an insult to the democratic values that office is supposed to represent. https://t.co/U0wdG3v39r
— Brittany Martinez (@_Britt_Martinez) October 1, 2026