Jackson mayor removes photo of Trump from Town Hall
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JACKSON, Wyoming — A picture of President Donald Trump has been removed from the Jackson Town Hall after the mayor said displaying the image “sends the wrong message.”
Mayor Pete Muldoon ordered the pictures of President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence near the entrance of Council Chambers be replaced with one of former Shoshone Chief Washakie.
“Our town government takes a lot of pride in the details, in getting it right, in working together, in respecting all members of the community, in service to the public and in competence,” Muldoon told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “Our current president shows no interest in any of these things, and I think it sends the wrong message when we honor him.”
Muldoon went on to say, “If I was the CEO of a trusted investment firm, I wouldn’t have a portrait of Bernie Madoff hanging in the lobby. Having a portrait of Donald Trump hanging in Town Hall seems like the same thing to me.”
Councilman Jim Stanford supports Muldoon’s decision and is happy a picture of Chief Washakie, a renowned warrior who played a pivotal role in Wyoming’s settlement, is now hanging on the wall.
“Chief Washakie is somebody we can all get behind,” Stanford told the Jackson Hole & Guide. “Town Hall should be a haven for people from all backgrounds.”
But in a statement on his Facebook page, County Commissioner Paul Vogelheim, who is chairman of the Teton County Republicans, said the move disrespects President Trump.
“Hanging pictures of the president has been a tradition in the community since at least the mid-’80s,” Vogelheim wrote. “I find this totally disrespectful and dishonoring of the position of the president. Even more so the concern is that it’s bringing ugly national partisan politics into our community.”
Public reaction following the picture swap is mixed on social media.
“Pretty pathetic, I don’t like him and didn’t vote for him, but he is the president. Stay classy, Jackson,” one person wrote on the Jackson Hole & Guide Facebook page.
Another stated, “This has nothing to do with hating Trump. This has everything to do with honoring Wyoming’s true native people and culture.”
Muldoon issued an additional statement Sunday about the presidential portrait, saying, “Donald Trump is an extremely divisive figure. Whether you agree with his opinions or not, it’s undeniably true that many residents intensely dislike him, and find his political views odious. Our previous president, whether deserved or not, evoked a similar response from some residents.”
If Barack Obama were still president, Muldoon said he would have removed Obama’s photo from the Town Hall.