President Donald Trump has introduced a new feature dubbed the “Presidential Walk of Fame” along the exterior of the White House, showcasing portraits of all former U.S. presidents-except for one.
On Wednesday, September 24, the White House revealed this presidential portrait gallery installed along the West Wing Colonnade.
While the display includes gilded-framed images of every past president, Joe Biden’s official portrait has been notably substituted with an image depicting an autopen machine signing Biden’s name. This alteration alludes to Trump’s persistent claims that Biden was mentally impaired toward the end of his term and not fully in control of presidential decisions.
The White House highlighted this modification on its social media platforms.
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Trump has frequently criticized Biden’s reliance on the autopen, a device commonly used to sign official documents when the signatory is unavailable. Despite Trump’s disparagement, the autopen is a standard tool employed routinely on Capitol Hill and within the White House, utilized by presidents from both political parties.
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Trump has propagated baseless assertions that Biden’s use of the autopen indicated a lack of awareness during his presidency, particularly questioning the legitimacy of pardons and legislation signed via this method. He has even suggested that such pardons should be invalidated.
In response, Biden firmly rejected these accusations, stating, “To be clear: I was the one who made all the decisions during my administration, including those on pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any claim otherwise is absurd and unfounded.”
In recent weeks, Trump hinted at this unusual alteration as part of his ongoing efforts to undermine Biden’s presidential legacy.
“It’s a choice I’m considering. We’ve displayed the autopen image,” Trump remarked during an interview with The Daily Caller earlier this month.
The West Wing Colonnade, an iconic open-air passageway constructed during Thomas Jefferson’s era, has long served as a practical route for presidents and their staff to move swiftly between the West Wing and the Executive Residence.
This is not the first instance where Trump has used his authority to remove or replace symbols associated with political opponents within the White House. In June, the Trump administration took down a portrait of Hillary Clinton-former first lady, secretary of state, and 2016 presidential contender-replacing it with a patriotic-themed painting of Trump himself. Later, in August, portraits of former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush were relocated from the White House entryway to less prominent locations.
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