Trump adds controversial White House plaques under Biden, Obama portraits

Donald Trump has added new plaques under White House portraits of former presidents, using the prefix 'sleepy' for Joe Biden and describing Barack Obama as a 'divisive' leader

US President Donald Trump has added new bronze plaques beneath portraits of former US presidents inside the White House, using them to criticise and make claims about several of his predecessors, including Joe Biden and Barack Obama. The move is part of a broader set of changes Trump has made to the White House since returning to office.

 

According to ABC News, the plaques are part of what Trump has named the “Presidential Walk of Fame”, a portrait gallery located along the West Wing Colonnade. While such displays traditionally focus on historical facts and achievements, these plaques describe past presidencies in political and opinionated language, the news report said.

 

 

According to the White House, many of the plaques were written by Trump himself. Their style resembles his social media posts, featuring irregular capital letters and frequent exclamation marks.

 

Joe Biden plaque makes sweeping allegations

 

The plaque under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden’s portrait is among the most sharply worded. Instead of a traditional image, Biden is represented only by his signature, which the plaque says was written using a presidential autopen.

 

The text claims that “Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American History”, and alleges that he became president “as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States”. It further states that “Biden oversaw a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction".

 

Trump’s plaque also attacks Biden’s handling of the economy, climate policy, immigration and foreign affairs. It describes the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as “among the most humiliating events in American History".

 

The plaque also claims that Biden’s “weakness” led to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and “Hamas terrorists launched the heinous October 7 attack on Israel”. It also refers to what Trump calls Biden’s “severe mental decline, and his unprecedented use of the Autopen".   

 

  'Spied on Trump', states Obama plaque

 

Under Barack Obama’s portrait, the plaque states, “Barack Hussein Obama was the first Black President, a community organiser, one term Senator from Illinois, and one of the most divisive political figures in American History.”

 

It ends with claims that Obama “spied on the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Donald J Trump, and presided over the creation of the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, the worst political scandal in American History".

 

Hillary Clinton referenced multiple times

 

The plaques also make repeated references to Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and Democratic nominee in the 2016 presidential election.

 

Under Obama’s portrait, the plaque describes Clinton as his “handpicked successor” and notes that she “would then lose the Presidency to Donald J Trump”. A similar reference appears under former President Bill Clinton’s portrait, stating that “President Clinton’s wife, Hillary, lost the Presidency to President Donald J Trump”.

 

White House defends new plaques

 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the additions, saying many of the plaques were personally written by Trump.

 

“The plaques are eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind. As a student of history, many were written directly by the President himself,” Leavitt said in a statement.

 

Trump had first hinted at the plaques in a November interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, saying each would describe what a president did during his time in office.

 

Wider changes to the White House complex

 

The plaques are only one part of a broader transformation of the White House under Trump. He has paved over the Rose Garden, renovated the Palm Room, originally designed by former first lady Jackie Kennedy, and redesigned the Oval Office.

 

Trump has also added statues around the Rose Garden and introduced extensive gold detailing and décor inside the Oval Office.

 

One of the major changes this year was the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. The space is being replaced by a large, multimillion-dollar ballroom.

 

Trump has said that the new ballroom will be completed before the end of his term, marking one of the most significant structural changes to the White House in modern history.