Uniondale, New York – A Staten Island artist speed-sketched a portrait of former President Trump in just over three minutes at a campaign rally in New York on Wednesday, then presented the 31-second portrait to critics of the Republican candidate.
Scott LoBaid, 59, a self-described “patriot artist,” told Fox News Digital it was an “honor” to perform onstage at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on behalf of the man he described as “the greatest president since George Washington.”
But he also acknowledged that he has received criticism from the art world for his conservative views, and was quick to hit back.
'Trump 2024!': Young supporter with rare brain disorder smiles after surprise meeting with former president
Artist Scott LoBaido unveiled his painting of former President Trump at a campaign rally in Uniondale, New York on September 18, 2024. (David Dee Delgado/AFP via Getty Images)
“Your house is on fire. Your kids are upstairs screaming out the window as flames shoot out the back. The guy who lives across the street is a firefighter, but you don't like his hair. You don't like his tan. You don't like his tweets. This guy comes along and saves your house from burning down and saves your kids. Do you care about his hair, his mean tweets or his tan?”
“I don't think so. It's something people should think about,” he added.
WATCH: 'Patriot artist' Scott LoBaido speed-paints Trump portrait for rally crowd
LoBaido, who is primarily known for his paintings of the American flag in addition to his political activism, told Fox News Digital that he feels marginalized by the mainstream art world but hopes to bring Trump critics into the fold through his work.
“I especially want to reach out to those on the other side who hate Donald Trump, who hate him for the most ridiculous of reasons,” LoBaido said.
Former President Trump speaks at a rally in Uniondale, New York, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
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Trump's rally on Wednesday in Nassau County, a Republican suburb just east of New York City, was the former president's first since the second assassination attempt over the weekend.
Trump praised the unnamed Secret Service agent who opened fire on an armed man a few hundred yards around him on a Florida golf course on Sunday and vowed to become the first Republican presidential candidate in decades to win New York state, drawing loud cheers from a crowd of about 18,000.
WATCH: Speed painting artist gives elevator pitch to Trump critics
Trump also surprised young supporters by meeting them in person and giving them birthday gifts.
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New York artist Scott LoBaid spoke after unveiling a pro-Trump artwork during the 2016 election campaign that was later destroyed by arsonists. (Kenna Betancourt/AFP via Getty Images)
Eight-year-old Liam has agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC), a rare and incurable condition that means he is born without the part of the brain that connects the left and right hemispheres, and his parents told Fox News Digital that Liam had dreamed of meeting the former president.
Trump brought him backstage and cheered him on during the rally.
