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The hallowed halls of the White House, traditionally a space defined by solemnity, historical continuity, and bipartisan reverence, have recently become the centerpiece of a fierce national controversy. The cause of this upheaval is a series of newly installed plaques positioned beneath the presidential portraits in what is being called the “Walk of Fame.”1 Unlike the neutral, fact-based biographical sketches that have historically accompanied such galleries, these new additions offer sharply partisan and often derogatory assessments of former leaders. According to the White House Press Secretary, the text for these plaques was personally authored by Donald Trump, marking a radical departure from the decorum typically associated with the Executive Mansion.2+1
The most vitriolic descriptions are reserved for Trump’s immediate Democratic predecessors. The plaque situated beneath the portrait of Barack Obama serves as a direct indictment of his two terms in office.3 It labels the 44th president as “one of the most divisive political figures” in American history.4 The text goes on to offer a scathing critique of the Affordable Care Act, characterizes the Obama-era economy as stagnant, and condemns the Iran Nuclear Deal as a failure of diplomacy. Furthermore, it accuses Obama of projecting a “weakness” on the global stage that allegedly allowed for the rise of ISIS and the Russian annexation of Crimea. By enshrining these critiques in metal within the White House, the current administration has effectively turned a historical exhibit into a permanent campaign attack.+1
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