STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Less than a week after Donald Trump dodged an assassin’s bullets, Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido personally presented the former president with a painting depicting a now-iconic moment from the assassination attempt.
The two met on July 19 at a Ladies for Liberty fundraiser at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, in New Jersey.
LoBaido told the Advance that he rendered the painting, showing a clench-fisted Trump with blood covering his wounded ear, in one 20-hour session beginning on the night of the assassination attempt on July 13.
“That’s how I helped get my rage out,” LoBaido, a longtime Trump supporter, said. “I’m full of rage. Thank God I have the outlet of art to get it out of my system.”
LoBaido, who has met and presented Trump with artwork before, said that he had initially intended to present another work of art to Trump at the fundraiser, a tender portrait featuring Trump and son, Barron.
But after the attempt on Trump’s life, LoBaido said, “everything changed” and he rendered the painting of the assassination attempt.
“Once I did it, everybody wanted it,” said LoBaido, who posted videos on social media as he painted the portrait. “I had offers to buy it. But I couldn’t do that with that tragedy. It’s going to its rightful owner.”
LoBaido said while he didn’t know if Trump would be at the Ladies for Liberty fundraiser so soon after the attempt on his life, he had the new artwork on display at Bedminster.
He said Siggy Flicker, a mutual friend of his and Trump’s, saw the artwork and told him that Trump was upstairs at the venue. LoBaido and the painting were soon on their way to the former president.
“He literally flipped out over it,” LoBaido said. “He jumped out of his chair. You could see the emotion it his face. It was a pretty powerful moment. He wanted to give me money for it. I told him, ‘I did this for you. You are the rightful owner.’”
LoBaido said he and Trump talked about art and other things that LoBaido is keeping to himself.
“It was a great moment,” LoBaido said. “I’d met him a couple of times before. This was more of a personal meeting, which was really special. He looked great.”
LoBaido said he has sold limited-edition prints of the painting and was donating a large portion of the proceeds to the family of Corey Comperatore, the man killed at the Trump rally during the assassination attempt.
LoBaido said he is also doing a portrait for the Comperatore family.
“It’s something you have to do,” he said.
