The Washington Sun

Main Navigation

Subscribe Log in
  • Newsletters
    • Sign up for our newsletters
    • The Washington Sun newsletter
    • Afternoon Sun
    • Metro
    • Sign up for Dana Milbank’s newsletter
    • Sign up for Matt K. Lewis’ newsletter
  • Weather
  • Campaigns
    • 2026 Election
    • 2028 Election
    • Democrats
    • Republicans
    • Influence
  • Congress
    • House
    • Senate
  • Metro
    • Latest in Metro
    • Tom Sietsema
  • Sports
    • Latest in Sports
    • All-DMV High School
  • Policy
    • Administration
    • Defense
    • Energy & Environment
    • Immigration
    • Economy
    • Health
    • Foreign Policy
    • Housing
    • Technology
  • National
    • Legal
    • U.S. News
  • Perspectives
    • Latest Perspectives
    • Dana Milbank
    • Matt K. Lewis
    • Features
    • Forums
  • Podcast
    • Washington Sun Cast • Episode List
    • Listen on Apple Podcasts
    • Listen on Spotify
    • Watch on Youtube
  • Who Are We?
    • About The Washington Sun
    • Events
    • Work for us
    • Press Releases
    • Support FAQ
  • Follow Us
    • X (Twitter)
    • Bluesky
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
Subscribe
Log in

Support independent journalism. Subscribe for $50 for your first year. Limited time.

Trump White House

Trump Insults Biden and Obama in New White House ‘Walk of Fame’ Plaques

Each is written in classic Trumpian prose, calling Obama “divisive” and Biden “the worst president in American history.”

Portraits with new plaques of explanatory text are seen on the Presidential Walk of Fame on the Colonnade of the White House

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

By Amelia Benavides-Colón

December 17, 2025 04:06 p.m.

  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Copy
    Link copied

President Donald Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame” now features partisan descriptions of each former president in classic Trumpian tone, such as calling Barack Obama “one of the most divisive political figures in American history” and Joe Biden “the worst president in American history.”

In late September Trump first remodeled the colonnade that leads into the West Wing, lining the hallway with portraits of each former president in large, ornate golden frames. But new photos on Wednesday revealed plaques describing each president’s tenure in starkly partisan terms, with special ire reserved for Trump’s recent Democratic predecessors.

“Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President of American History,” read one of two plaques below a photograph of an autopen, used in place of a portrait of the former president. “Nicknamed both ‘Sleepy’ and ‘Crooked,’ Joe Biden was dominated by his Radical Left handlers. They and their allies in the Fake News Media attempted to cover up his severe mental decline, and his unprecedented use of the Autopen.”

Portraits of Trump, Biden and Obama are the only ones featuring two plaques, bearing around 150 words each.

Trending

  • Jake Johnson

    Dana Milbank: How Big a Wave? This Minnesota Math Teacher Could Be the Democrats’ High-Water Mark.

  • AP26265855643072

    Republicans Are Trying to Spend Their Way Out of Disaster in Kansas

  • NY: ICE Agents At LaGuardia Airport

    ICE Won’t Automatically Switch On Body Cameras, Citing Privacy Concerns

  • AP Poll Trump Approval Issues

    Police Chiefs Are Quietly Signing ICE Deals Without Approval

A new plaque that features an insulting description of former President Joe Biden
A new plaque that features an insulting description of former President Joe Biden’s tenure showed up Wednesday at the White House Colonnade. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Below a portrait of Trump representing his first term, a plaque says the president’s first election represented “an unprecedented realignment that turned the so-called ‘blue wall’ of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin into future Election ‘battlegrounds.’”

The White House’s new plaques also laud Trump’s first term, saying his leadership resulted in “the Greatest Economy in the History of the World,” and credits his response to the COVID-19 pandemic along with withdrawing U.S. support for the Iran nuclear deal and Paris Climate Accords.

Describing Trump’s second term thus far — the longest of description contained in any of the plaques — his reelection is called the result of a campaign that overcame “unprecedented Weaponization of Law Enforcement … [and] two assassination attempts.”

Members of the press walk past a plaque near the Presidential Walk of Fame
Members of the press walk past a plaque explaining Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Each written from Trump’s perspective, the plaques criticize the perceived failures of many Democratic presidents and laud the accomplishments of many Republicans.

“Barack Hussein Obama was the first Black President, a community organizer, one term Senator from Illinois, and one of the most divisive political figures in American History,” reads one of the two plaques below Obama’s portrait.

“He presided over a stagnant Economy … crippled small businesses with crushing regulation and environmental red tape, devastated American coal miners and weaponized the IRS and Federal bureaucracies against his opponents,” the description continues.

New plaques of explanatory text have been placed underneath presidential portraits on the Colonnade at the White House
New plaques of explanatory text have been placed underneath presidential portraits on the Colonnade at the White House, including partisan messages about the alleged failures of President Donald Trump’s recent Democratic predecessors. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In the description below former President Bill Clinton, the plaque recounts a number of “scandals that plagued his Presidency.”

“He approved NAFTA, which President Donald J. Trump would later terminate as being bad for the United States,” the plaque continues. “In 2016, President Clinton’s wife, Hillary, lost the Presidency to President Donald J. Trump!”

Former President Ronald Reagan’s plaque even claims the late Republican “was a fan” of Trump “long before his run for the White House.

“He survived being shot by an assassin, and confronted the Soviet Union with striking moral clarity, labeling it as an ‘evil empire,’ and putting unprecedented pressure on the Communist menace,” the plaque continues.

President Donald Trump holds an artist rendering of the interior of the new White House ballroom
President Donald Trump holds an artist rendering of the interior of the new White House ballroom as meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The plaques are just one of many cosmetic changes Trump has made to the White House in his first year in office. Most notably, the property where the East Wing once stood has turned into an active demolition site. Trump has proposed plans to construct a $400 million privately funded White House ballroom, which preservation groups are attempting to halt with ongoing litigation.

On top of the ballroom project, Trump redecorated the Oval Office with golden accents including scones and large portraits, and added marble tile and white features to the Palm Room. He also bulldozed the Rose Garden and put in a cement patio.

The Cabinet Room, which frequently hosts televised Cabinet meetings, has undergone a full makeover in order to match Trump’s maximalist taste. The formerly plain, white room has been converted to feature golden molding along the ceiling, matching the golden curtains, large picture frames and crystal chandeliers.

Construction equipment can be seen at the White House
Construction equipment can be seen at the White House as work continues on the construction of a massive ballroom where the East Wing once stood. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Jose Luis Magana/AP

“Some of the highest quality 24 Karat Gold used in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room of the White House,” Trump posted to Truth Social in September. “Foreign Leaders, and everyone else, ‘freak out’ when they see the quality and beauty.”

Author

aji_fellow2024_ameliabenavides_colón.png Amelia Benavides-Colón is a former NOTUS reporter and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.

The Latest

  • Ovechkin Carolina

    The Ovechkin Farewell Tour Opens with a Capitals Loss to Carolina

  • A woman pushes a shopping cart

    Inflation Rose Again Last Month, Complicating Republicans’ Midterms Pitch

  • Sen. Brian Schatz

    Schatz Says Democrats Can’t Just Be Voters’ ‘Rebound Boyfriend’

  • AP26265855643072

    Republicans Are Trying to Spend Their Way Out of Disaster in Kansas

  • NY: ICE Agents At LaGuardia Airport

    ICE Won’t Automatically Switch On Body Cameras, Citing Privacy Concerns

Welcome back to The Washington Sun!

You can always update your profile and newsletters preferences on the My Account page.

Manage account settings

Welcome to
The Washington Sun

Subscribe to maintain unlimited access to independent journalism covering Washington's people, politics and power.

  • About The Washington Sun
  • Work for us
  • Terms of Use
  • Subscription Agreement Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your CA Privacy Rights
  • Support FAQ
  • Contact us
  • RSS Feed

© 2026.0 NOTUS MEDIA, LLC