Norms Impact
White House adds insulting plaques below Biden and Obama portraits
The White House has turned a civic memorial into a partisan weapon—using official space to smear predecessors and entrench election-delegitimizing claims as government history.
Dec 18, 2025
Sources
Summary
White House staff installed new plaques beneath portraits along the West Wing colonnade that describe former presidents in language aligned with President Donald Trump, including branding Joe Biden “the worst President in American History” and claiming a “most corrupt Election.”
The executive branch is repurposing a ceremonial, taxpayer-funded civic space into an instrument of personalized political messaging and delegitimization of prior administrations.
The practical consequence is a normalized precedent for using the White House itself to harden partisan narratives—especially election-denial—into the government’s public-facing historical record.
Reality Check
This conduct weaponizes the symbolic power of the presidency to launder personal political attacks—especially claims of a “most corrupt Election”—into the government’s own public-facing record, weakening our shared baseline for democratic legitimacy. It is unlikely to be criminal on these facts alone, but it squarely violates core anti–abuse-of-office norms by converting taxpayer-supported facilities into an official platform for personal vendettas and election denial. When the executive branch treats the White House as a propaganda set, the precedent invites future administrations to use state power to discredit opponents and erode the public’s faith in lawful transfers of power.
Media
Detail
<p>On Wednesday, White House staff updated the “Presidential Walk of Fame” by adding plaques under portraits on a “Wall of Fame” outside the West Wing showing presidents in order of office. The plaques contain extended descriptions that mirror President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about predecessors.</p><p>The plaque for former President Joe Biden calls him “the worst President in American History” and states he took office “as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States.” Biden’s placement differs from other presidents: his portrait was replaced with a photo of an autopen, referencing Republican claims that staff used the device in his place.</p><p>Other plaques criticize Barack Obama and George W. Bush, attribute Bill Clinton’s successes to congressional Republicans, and include references to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss. Plaques for aligned figures such as Ronald Reagan contain praising language, including a claim that Reagan was “a fan of President Donald J. Trump.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said many descriptions were written directly by Trump. Public criticism came from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and retired Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey.</p>