Trump installs partisan plaques on White House Walk of Fame
President Donald Trump has expanded the White House's Presidential Walk of Fame with new plaques offering sharply critical assessments of his predecessors. The inscriptions, which White House officials say were largely written by Trump himself, label President Biden as the "worst president in American history" and describe former President Obama as highly divisive.
President Donald Trump has appended overtly political plaques to the White House Presidential Walk of Fame, directly inserting his personal commentary on former presidents into the official residence's décor. Newly installed placards beneath the portraits of Barack Obama and Joe Biden feature text that officials confirm was authored primarily by Trump, marking a novel use of the executive complex to present a partisan historical narrative.
Content of the Critical Inscriptions
The plaque for President Joe Biden repeats unsubstantiated claims of election corruption, stating he assumed office after "the most corrupt election ever" and declaring him "by far, the worst president in American history." For former President Barack Obama, the text describes him as "one of the most divisive political figures in American history." A plaque for George W. Bush offers a mixed review, crediting him for creating the Department of Homeland Security while asserting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq "should not have happened."
Official Justification and Previous Display
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the plaques as containing "eloquently written descriptions" of each president. The Presidential Walk of Fame itself, an introductory plaque notes, was "conceived, built, and dedicated by President Donald J. Trump." This installation follows a September renovation of the West Wing colonnade where Trump initially displayed gilded portraits of predecessors, pointedly excluding Biden's portrait in favor of an autopen device.
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Context and Unconventional Diplomacy
This action represents an unconventional approach to presidential legacy and official spaces, contrasting sharply with traditional diplomatic decorum observed by most world leaders. The move is likely to reinforce existing domestic political divisions. Observers in capitals worldwide, including Ankara, often note such unconventional steps in U.S. domestic affairs while focusing on substantive bilateral relations and regional stability priorities for Türkiye.
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