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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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The new plaques installed on President Donald Trump’s Presidential Walk of Fame repeatedly praise Trump while sharply criticizing his Democratic predecessors.
Since he has been president twice, Trump has two portraits in the display and four plaques in total. They are filled with praise for his achievements, including credit for creating “the Greatest Economy in the History of the World” during his first term.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the plaques feature "eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind,” adding that “many were written directly by the President himself.” Several of the plaques read like Trump’s social media posts, using the president’s signature bombastic language and haphazard capitalization.
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Why It Matters
The plaques mark Trump’s latest effort to remake the White House in his own style. He has adorned the Oval Office in gold, converted the Rose Garden into a stone-covered patio and razed the East Wing to build a massive ballroom.
The latest additions are striking since they flout the protocols of how presidents treat their predecessors and double down on Trump’s determination to rewrite history. The installation is in the colonnade that runs from the White House residence to the West Wing, meaning Trump can showcase the gallery to guests and visiting dignitaries.
What to Know
Under his first term portrait, the plaque says Trump was “the first person in the American history to become President without previously holding political office, or serving as an Officer of the Military.”
It calls his 2016 Electoral College margin of 304-227 a “landslide.”
The plaque credits Trump with rebuilding the U.S. military, destroying ISIS and saving “millions of lives around the world with Operation Warp Speed.”
Trump’s second-term plaque notes his popular vote victory in 2024, saying he became the first president in over a century to be sworn in for a second non-consecutive term after "overcoming unprecedented Weaponization of Law Enforcement against him" and "two assassination attempts."
It goes on to say that he had delivered on ushering in the “the Golden Age of America,” as he promised during his inauguration, including by “ending eight wars in his first eight months.” It concludes with “THE BEST IS YET TO COME.”
Praise for Trump or his achievements are also mentioned in the plaques for other presidents.
Meanwhile, the plaque for Ronald Reagan claims he was “a fan of President Donald J. Trump long before President Trump’s Historic run for the White House. Like President Trump was a fan of his!”
Joe Biden’s plaques, displayed underneath a photo of an autopen, end by saying Trump “would get re-elected in a Landslide, and SAVE AMERICA!” Trump is also mentioned in the plaque under former president Bill Clinton, which ends with the line: “In 2016, President Clinton’s wife, Hillary, lost the Presidency to President Donald J. Trump!”
A plaque under Barack Obama’s portrait says he “approved the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal, and signed the one-sided Paris Climate Accords, both of which were terminated by President Donald J. Trump.”
What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Newsweek: “The plaques are eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind. As a student of history, many were written directly by the President himself.”
Former vice president Kamala Harris, a Democrat who lost the 2024 election to Trump, said on Jimmy Kimmel’s show on Wednesday: “The idea that those plaques would have been placed by a president of the United States to talk about former presidents of the United States, the American people deserve better.”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote on X in response to the plaques: “He is such a sad, damaged person.”
Democratic Representative Mike Levin of California wrote on X: “It will be a great day for this country when the next President clears away these ridiculous plaques, removes the tacky gold cluttering the Oval Office, and restores dignity and honesty after an era marked by pettiness and vindictiveness at the highest level of government.”
What Happens Next
An introductory plaque presumes Trump’s addition will remain a White House fixture once he is no longer president. “The Presidential Walk of Fame will long live as a testament and tribute to the Greatness of America,” it says.
However, its future once Trump is no longer president is uncertain.
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