White House Plaques Spark Controversy, Trump’s Praise of Himself, and Republican Reactions

In a move that has drawn sharp criticism from both sides of the aisle, the White House installed a series of new plaques beneath presidential portraits on its recently added “Presidential Walk of Fame” in the colonnade. The plaques, which the administration claims were written by former President Donald Trump, contain disparaging language and misinformation about past presidents, including Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton, while glorifying Trump’s own tenure.

The Plaques and Their Content

The new plaques are mounted below portraits that have been on display for years. The Biden portrait, labeled the “Autopen,” is accompanied by a plaque that calls him “Sleepy Joe Biden” and declares him “the worst President in American History.” The text accuses Biden of a “severe mental decline,” a “Biden Crime Family,” and “Radical Left handlers.” It also claims that Biden took office after the “most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States,” and that he oversaw “a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction,” citing inflation, the Inflation Reduction Act as a “Green New Scam,” and his administration’s immigration policies. The plaque further blames Biden for the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal that killed 13 U.S. service members, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. It notes Biden’s poor performance in the 2024 debate, stating that after a “humiliating debate loss to President Trump in the big June 2024 debate,” he was forced to withdraw from his re‑election campaign.

Obama’s plaque, titled “Barack Hussein Obama,” labels him “one of the most divisive figures in American history.” It accuses him of passing the ineffective “Unaffordable Care Act,” presiding over a stagnant economy, approving the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Accords—both of which Trump later terminated—and claims that Obama “spied” on Trump’s 2016 campaign and “presided over the creation of the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,” described as the worst political scandal in American history. The plaque also repeats Trump’s conspiracy theory that Obama was behind the 2016 election fraud.

Bill Clinton’s plaque ends with the assertion that Trump beat Clinton’s wife, Hillary, in the 2016 presidential election. The plaque’s text is brief but carries the same tone of denigration.

Trump’s own plaques are overtly self‑promotional. One plaque celebrating his first four years lists a litany of achievements: “Largest Tax Cuts in History,” a booming economy, elimination of a record number of federal regulations, rebuilding the U.S. military, terminating the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Accords, ending the NAFTA disaster, destroying the ISIS Caliphate, signing the Abraham Accords, and creating the “Greatest Economy in the History of the World.” The second plaque, covering his second term, boasts of sweeping tariffs, hard‑line immigration policies, the removal of Critical Race Theory and transgender issues from public schools, banning men from women’s sports, construction of the Golden Dome missile defense shield, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and the building of a “magnificent Trump Presidential Ballroom” at the White House.

Administration Response

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News that Trump wrote the text of “many” of the plaques. “The plaques are eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind,” she said. “As a student of history, many were written directly by the President himself.”

The White House has not yet answered questions about how the plaques were paid for, whether government funds were used, or whether they were installed by government employees.

Reactions from Republican Senators

The plaques have elicited mixed reactions from Republicans on Capitol Hill. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, known for her independent streak, expressed deep concern. “I’m really disturbed by that,” she told NBC News. She added, “These are individuals who served who were elected by people around this country. Whether I supported them or not, they were the country’s president. Let’s not have President Trump trying to redefine the contributions or lack of contributions of each. That’s inappropriate.”

Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, downplayed the issue. “I don’t think that’s going to move the ball for us. There may be some amusement there,” he said before pivoting to the 2026 midterm elections. “But the bottom line is, if we lose the House, he’s going to get impeached. We need to focus on, you know, fixing people’s problems. And the more we can focus on that, the better.”

Office Responses

Biden’s office declined to comment. Obama’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Clinton’s office also did not respond.

The Planned White House Ballroom

President Donald Trump shared images of the planned White House ballroom, which is expected to serve as a venue for official events. The ballroom is described as a “magnificent Trump Presidential Ballroom” built at the White House after a 225‑year wait.

Key Takeaways

• New plaques on the White House’s Presidential Walk of Fame contain disparaging language and misinformation about past presidents, while glorifying Trump’s own record.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wrote many of the plaques, and the administration has not yet clarified funding or installation details.
• Republican senators expressed divergent views: Murkowski condemned the plaques as inappropriate, while Graham dismissed them as trivial.

The controversy underscores the polarized climate surrounding the legacy of former President Trump and the ongoing debate over how presidential history should be commemorated in the nation’s most symbolic building.