Instead of a portrait of former President Joe Biden, the wall features a photograph of an autopen.
Credit: X/@WhiteHouse
US President Donald Trump has launched a new Presidential Walk of Fame along the West Wing Colonnade, featuring framed black-and-white portraits of past US presidents in gold frames. But one display has stirred particular attention.
Instead of a portrait of former President Joe Biden, the wall features a photograph of an autopen.
Trump has long criticised Biden’s reliance on the autopen, a mechanical signature device, questioning his fitness for office. In June, he even issued a memorandum ordering a probe into Biden’s use of the device, alleging it was tied to his “cognitive decline.” Biden at the time rejected the claims, insisting he personally made all presidential decisions, calling suggestions otherwise “ridiculous and false.”
Margo Martin, a special assistant to Trump, shared a video of the new display on X, writing, “The Presidential Walk of Fame has arrived.” The unveiling comes after Trump hinted in a Daily Caller interview that not all former presidents would be treated equally, remarking that Biden’s space might indeed feature an autopen image.
Critics have pounced on the installation. Former Biden aide Chris Meagher mocked the White House on X, noting the administration’s laser focus on decor while families struggle with economic challenges.
The autopen issue remains a recurring Trump talking point. Earlier this year, he told reporters aboard Air Force One that while he might use it for ceremonial letters, employing it for pardons and executive orders was “disgraceful.”
Also, this is not Trump’s first redecoration effort. He has previously repositioned portraits of Barack Obama and George W Bush and swapped Hillary Clinton’s image with one of himself.
His redesign of the Rose Garden this summer, paved with marble and stone in a Mar-a-Lago style, will serve as the backup for Wednesday’s Rose Garden Club dinner, where guests will also get their first look at the Walk of Fame.