Call us @+234 806 558 2598
Trump And The plaques mocking Biden, Obama along White House Colonnade
The White House has always been more than a residence. It is a symbol, a stage, and a living museum of American power. Every corridor, portrait, and renovation choice carries meaning, sometimes subtle, sometimes unmistakably loud. Under President Donald Trump, that symbolism has taken a sharply confrontational turn once again, with the installation of bronze plaques beneath presidential portraits along the West Wing Colonnade that openly mock, criticize, and make unfounded claims about several of his predecessors, most notably Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
Dubbed by Trump as the “Presidential Walk of Fame,” the portrait gallery was intended, at least in theory, to chronicle the legacies of America’s commanders in chief. In practice, however, it has become something closer to a political battleground cast in bronze. According to the White House, many of the plaques were written directly by Trump himself, and they read exactly like that, less like neutral historical summaries and more like extended social media posts, complete with irregular capitalization, aggressive punctuation, and multiple exclamation points.
The most pointed and controversial plaques belong to Trump’s immediate predecessors. Under Joe Biden’s portrait, which is represented only by his signature written via the presidential autopen, the plaque describes him as “Sleepy Joe Biden” and labels his presidency “by far, the worst President in American History.” It goes further, claiming Biden assumed office “as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States,” a statement that echoes Trump’s long-standing and repeatedly debunked claims about the 2020 election.
The Biden plaque does not stop there. It accuses his administration of overseeing “a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction,” while targeting Biden’s economic policies, climate agenda, immigration stance, and foreign policy decisions. Trump’s wording singles out the withdrawal from Afghanistan as “among the most humiliating events in American History,” and goes on to assert that Biden’s “weakness” led directly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. It also alleges “severe mental decline” and criticizes Biden’s use of the autopen, claims that are editorial, political, and unverified, yet now permanently etched into White House decor.
Barack Obama’s plaque, while somewhat less explosive in tone, is no less pointed. It acknowledges Obama as the first Black president and briefly references his background as a community organizer and senator from Illinois. But the tone quickly shifts, labeling him “one of the most divisive political figures in American History.” The plaque concludes with false claims that Obama “spied on the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Donald J. Trump” and presided over what Trump calls the “Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,” which it describes as “the worst political scandal in American History.”
Hillary Clinton, though never president, makes repeated appearances in the gallery’s narrative. Obama’s plaque notes that Clinton was his “handpicked successor” and highlights that she “would then lose the Presidency to Donald J. Trump.” Bill Clinton’s plaque echoes the same theme, stating bluntly that “President Clinton’s wife, Hillary, lost the Presidency to President Donald J. Trump.” The repetition is striking and intentional, reinforcing Trump’s long-standing fixation on the 2016 election and his defeat of Clinton.
Reactions, or the lack thereof, have been telling. Obama offered no comment. ABC News did not receive immediate responses from Biden or the Clintons. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the plaques, calling them “eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind.” She emphasized that Trump considers himself a “student of history” and personally authored many of the plaques.
That defense raises a deeper question: whose version of history belongs on the walls of the White House?
Traditionally, presidential portraits and accompanying descriptions aim for restraint and balance, leaving judgment to historians rather than incumbents. Trump’s approach shatters that norm. By installing permanent, overtly political critiques of past presidents, he has transformed a historical space into a living extension of his political persona, one that blurs the line between commemoration and confrontation.
The plaques are just one element of Trump’s broader reimagining of the White House. Since returning to office, he has overseen sweeping physical changes to the complex. The Rose Garden has been paved over. The Palm Room, originally designed under former First Lady Jackie Kennedy, has been renovated. The Oval Office now features extensive gold leafing and dramatic decor. Statues have been added around the Rose Garden, reinforcing a grand, almost imperial aesthetic.
Most dramatically, Trump ordered the demolition of the East Wing earlier this year to make way for a massive, multimillion-dollar ballroom, a project he says will be completed by the end of his term. It is a bold move that underscores how deeply Trump views the White House not just as a workplace, but as a canvas for legacy-building.
Supporters may see the “Presidential Walk of Fame” as refreshing honesty, a refusal to sanitize history or pretend unity where none exists. Critics, however, argue that it degrades the dignity of the presidency and risks turning the White House into a monument to personal grievances rather than national memory.
What is undeniable is that these plaques will outlast news cycles and press conferences. Long after political arguments fade, visitors and future presidents will walk past words forged in bronze that reflect one man’s view of his rivals. Whether future administrations remove them, revise them, or leave them as artifacts of a deeply polarized era remains to be seen.
In the end, Trump’s plaques are not just about Biden, Obama, or the Clintons. They are about power, who controls the narrative, who defines legacy, and how history is told when politics refuses to stay outside the frame. The West Wing Colonnade, once a quiet passageway lined with portraits, has become yet another front in America’s ongoing struggle over truth, memory, and identity.
And in typical Trump fashion, the message is loud, permanent, and impossible to ignore.
