Former President Donald Trump's unique addition to the White House grounds, the so-called 'Presidential Walk of Fame', has received a significant and contentious upgrade this week. The installation, which first appeared in September as part of the Rose Garden Club renovation, now features new descriptive plaques placed beneath the portraits of his predecessors, with a particular focus on mocking his political rivals in characteristically Trumpian language.
Provocative Plaques Target Biden and Obama
The new signage, installed on Wednesday, offers scathing commentary on recent Democratic presidents. The plaque for current President Joe Biden is particularly pointed, employing Trump's familiar nickname 'Sleepy Joe Biden' and labelling him 'by far, the worst President in American History'. It repeats the unsubstantiated claim of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, stating Biden took office 'as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States'.
The criticism extends to policy areas, lambasting what it calls the 'Green New Scam', border policy, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In a remarkable assertion, the plaque also blames the Biden administration for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. A second plaque was reportedly needed to continue the critique, accusing Biden of being 'dominated by his Radical Left handlers' and referencing his decision to drop out of the 2024 race after a debate performance.
Historical Figures and Modern Rivalries
Former President Barack Obama is also targeted with two plaques. While acknowledging him as the 'first Black President', they also label him 'one of the most divisive political figures in American history'. The text criticises the Affordable Care Act and mentions Obama-era deals like the Iran nuclear agreement, which Trump later terminated. It makes the controversial claim that 'Obama also spied on the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Donald J. Trump'.
Interestingly, the plaques for both Obama and Bill Clinton highlight Trump's 2016 electoral victory over Hillary Clinton, with President Clinton's plaque noting 'In 2016, President Clinton's wife, Hillary, lost the Presidency to President Donald J. Trump!'. In contrast, presidents from earlier eras received more conventional and less polemical descriptions of their time in office.
Official Justification and Political Theatre
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the new plaques in a statement to the Daily Mail, describing them as 'eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind'. She added, 'As a student of history, many were written directly by the President himself.'
This latest renovation solidifies the walkway as a highly unusual piece of political theatre on the White House grounds. It serves not as a traditional, respectful monument to past leaders, but as a platform for Trump's personal and political narratives, directly embedding his disputed claims and partisan critiques into the fabric of the presidential residence. The move is likely to fuel further debate about the use of official spaces for personal and political commentary.
