History Gets a Rewrite: Trump Installs “Roast” Plaques in White House Walk of Fame
In a move that blends presidential history with political theater, President Donald Trump has unveiled new, sharply critical plaques beneath the portraits of his predecessors in the White House’s recently established “Presidential Walk of Fame.” The additions, featuring his signature nicknames and contentious allegations, transform the ceremonial corridor into an unprecedented gallery of political grievance. Most notably, the display for former President Joe Biden—already represented by an image of an autopen machine instead of a portrait—now bears two bronze plaques labeling him “Sleepy Joe” and “Crooked,” and declares him “by far, the worst President in American History,” blaming him for economic turmoil and a “severe mental decline.”
The historical critique extends to Barack Obama, whom the new plaques label “one of the most divisive political figures in American History.” The text attacks the Affordable Care Act as the “Unaffordable Care Act” and accuses the former president of spying on Trump’s 2016 campaign, calling the subsequent Russia investigation “the worst political scandal in American History.” Even figures not pictured are pulled into the fray, with references to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss appearing beneath Bill Clinton’s portrait. The installments offer an unfiltered, official reflection of Trump’s long-standing political grudges, permanently etching his narrative into the White House’s physical structure.
President Trump had previously hinted to Fox News in November that “beautiful bronze plaques” describing the presidents would be added, but the caustic and personal nature of the final text was not telegraphed. The walkway, initially unveiled in September, now stands as a highly unconventional monument, less a neutral record of leadership and more a curated, confrontational legacy project. It solidifies Trump’s use of the presidency’s symbolic apparatus not just to honor history, but to actively redefine it according to his own combative terms.
