Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton Given Unflattering Descriptions on Trump’s Presidential Walk of Fame

President Donald Trump has installed partisan plaques alongside portraits of all U.S. commanders in chief — including himself — on a newly unveiled Presidential Walk of Fame at the White House, offering sharply critical descriptions of several predecessors and glowing praise for his own record.

The plaques, first seen publicly on Wednesday in the colonnade connecting the West Wing to the presidential residence, describe former President Joe Biden as “sleepy,” label Barack Obama “divisive,” and portray Ronald Reagan as an admirer of a young Trump. The installation marks Trump’s latest effort to reshape the White House’s physical space and influence how American presidential history is presented.

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

The language reflects Trump’s signature style, featuring superlatives, sharp critiques and unconventional capitalization, while underscoring his strained relationships with recent predecessors.

An introductory plaque states that the exhibit was “conceived, built, and dedicated by President Donald J. Trump as a tribute to past Presidents, good, bad, and somewhere in the middle.”

The Walk of Fame is part of broader changes underway at the White House. Trump has redecorated the Oval Office with gold accents, ordered the East Wing razed to make way for a large ballroom, pushed for a review of Smithsonian exhibits, and taken a leading role in shaping federal plans for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

Joe Biden

Biden is the only president whose display lacks a gilded portrait, replaced instead with an autopen — a reference to Trump’s long-running mockery of Biden’s age and fitness for office. The plaque labels him “Sleepy Joe” and “by far, the worst President in American History,” blaming him for inflation, immigration issues, energy policy failures and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It also falsely claims Biden was fraudulently elected in 2020. Biden’s post-presidential office declined comment.

Barack Obama

Obama is described as “one of the most divisive political figures in American History.” His signature healthcare law is labeled the “highly ineffective ‘Unaffordable Care Act,’” while Trump highlights his own withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement. An aide to Obama declined comment.

George W. Bush

Bush is credited for creating the Department of Homeland Security and leading the nation after the September 11 attacks, but criticized for launching wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which the plaque says “should not have happened.” Bush’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Bill Clinton

Clinton receives limited praise for crime legislation, welfare reform and balanced budgets, while the plaque attributes those successes to a Republican Congress and the 1990s tech boom, noting “the scandals that plagued his Presidency.” NAFTA is described as “bad for the United States,” and the plaque ends by noting Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss to Trump. Clinton’s office did not comment.

Other Presidents

The tone softens for earlier figures. George H.W. Bush is praised for his pre-presidency service and major legislation. Lyndon B. Johnson is credited for civil rights laws, with mention of Vietnam-era unrest. John F. Kennedy is described as a World War II hero and Cold War leader. Richard Nixon’s plaque states plainly that Watergate led to his resignation.

Trump also includes a familiar critique of the media, with Andrew Jackson’s plaque claiming Jackson was “unjustifiably treated unfairly by the Press,” foreshadowing similar treatment of Abraham Lincoln and Trump himself.

Donald Trump

Trump’s own two presidencies receive separate displays filled with superlatives, including claims of “the Greatest Economy in the History of the World” and a characterization of his 2016 Electoral College victory as a “landslide.” His second-term plaque highlights his popular vote win and concludes with the line: “THE BEST IS YET TO COME.”

The introductory plaque suggests permanence: “The Presidential Walk of Fame will long live as a testament and tribute to the Greatness of America.”