So goes America, so goes FreeRepublic.
The American flag is to the right of the sitter in photographs of Trump’s Oval Office, so you can’t see it from this angle. The artist was not trying to make a personal political statement. Why would Trump choose an unfriendly artist? There are plenty of portrait artists out there, some of them probably even voted for him.
To me, he looks as if he’s either getting into his chair to get to work or he’s starting to get out of the chair to get to work. It’s a more dynamic pose than just sitting in a chair.