A ghost in the Oval Office: How Reagan looms over Trump presidency

FILE PHOTO: Ronald Reagan sits at the Oval Office desk following his inaugural parade in Washington, D.C., U.S. in January 1981.Ronald Reagan Presidential Library/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Since February, a large, smiling portrait of Ronald Reagan has loomed over the Oval Office, watching Donald Trump each time he settles behind the Resolute Desk long used by U.S. presidents.

The painting - provided by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute and prominently installed by Trump as a tribute to the former Republican president - signals admiration. But, according to veteran Republicans and historians, the relationship is more fraught: Trump's bond with Reagan is as much about rivalry as it is about reverence.