• Trump installs new plaques mocking former presidents Biden and Obama.
• The plaques feature contentious claims about each leader's legacy.
• Trump's approach continues to reshape the historical narrative at the White House.
• Critics argue that the plaques misrepresent facts and distort historical contexts.
• The installation underscores Trump's combative political style in an institutional setting.

President Donald Trump has controversially installed bronze plaques at the White House, placed beneath portraits of former presidents, to criticize and mock his predecessors, most notably Joe Biden and Barack Obama. This initiative is part of what Trump describes as the “Presidential Walk of Fame,” and these plaques, many of which were reportedly written by Trump himself, make bold claims about past leaders rather than neutral historical summaries, mirroring the combative tone of Trump's social media posts, according to SCMP and India Times.

The plaque underneath Biden's photo states, “Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American history,” alleging he ascended to presidency as a result of "the most corrupt election ever seen in the United States.” Trump accuses Biden of a series of failures, including poor economic management and foreign policy blunders, particularly in connection to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The controversial claims extend to a portrayal of Biden's governance as leading to what Trump calls "unprecedented disasters," according to BBC and SCMP.

Obama's plaque similarly denigrates his legacy, referring to him as “one of the most divisive political figures in American history.” It repeats unfounded allegations regarding Obama's purported role in surveillance activities during the 2016 campaign. Trump's inscriptions attempt to cement the narrative he holds about these leaders within the historical record, disregarding the conventions of neutral historical representation typically associated with the White House decor, according to India Times and BBC.

Notably, even past Republican presidents such as George W. Bush are not immune to critique. The plaque dedicated to Bush criticizes him for initiating wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which Trump asserts “should not have happened,” showing that the critique varies depending on alignment with Trump’s personal views. In contrast, Ronald Reagan's plaque is notably more flattering, asserting that Reagan was a fan of Trump long before his presidency, according to SCMP and India Times.

Despite the outcry surrounding these plaques, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended them as “eloquently written descriptions of each president and the legacy they left behind," asserting that they reflect Trump's unique historical perspective. This initiative to permanently install such editorialized descriptions marks a distinct shift in how the legacy of former presidents is perceived and could influence public understanding of their administrations, which brings into question the nature of historical narrative at a national landmark, according to BBC and India Times.