Donald Trump’s political fundraising vehicle has taken the unusual step of paying $650,000 to commission two official portraits of the former president and his wife that will hang in Washington’s prestigious National Portrait Gallery.
The Save America PAC made the donation on July 14, according to public records and the Smithsonian, in an arrangement the museum said was unprecedented in recent presidential history. Another unnamed donor provided a further $100,000.
The Washington-based Smithsonian always commissions portraits of departing presidents to hang in the National Portrait Gallery but normally raises funds from private donors to cover the cost.