The White House has installed a series of newly crafted plaques beneath presidential portraits along the West Wing’s exterior, marking a permanent institutional effort to reshape historical narratives about former commanders-in-chief. Unlike previous presidential commentary delivered through transient media channels, these bronze inscriptions represent an unprecedented official attempt to cement specific historical interpretations directly within the executive mansion’s architecture.
The plaques contain sharply critical assessments of recent Democratic presidents while offering glowing accounts of Donald Trump’s current term. President Joe Biden’s display notably excludes his portrait, instead featuring an image of an autopen machine—a visual reference to Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that Biden’s staff used automated signing devices without his knowledge. The accompanying text describes Biden’s 2021 inauguration as following “the most corrupt election ever seen in the US,” despite exhaustive investigations by multiple agencies and media organizations finding no evidence supporting widespread election fraud allegations.
Immigration assertions on the plaques claim Biden “let 21 million people from all over the World pour into the US,” substantially exceeding official border encounter statistics. Government data indicates approximately 10 million migrant encounters occurred during Biden’s term, with Department of Homeland Security estimates suggesting 11 million undocumented immigrants resided in the country as of January 2022—most arriving before 2010.
Economic criticisms target both Biden and Barack Obama, alleging Biden caused “the highest inflation ever recorded” and Obama presided over “a stagnant economy.” While inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 during Biden’s presidency, historical records show higher rates in 1920 (23.7%) and during the 1970s-80s. Economic analysis reveals Obama averaged 1.7% GDP growth annually while navigating post-financial crisis recovery, comparable to Trump’s pre-pandemic growth rates.
The current president’s plaque makes bold claims about “defeating inflation” despite November 2025 figures showing 2.7% year-over-year inflation, and asserts Trump ended “eight wars in his first eight months.” Verification shows this includes conflicts lasting merely days and disputes regarding Trump’s actual influence in resolutions, with India’s defense ministry explicitly rejecting his claimed role in ending tensions with Pakistan.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the installations as “eloquently written descriptions of each president and the legacy they left behind.” The displays incorporate some bipartisan elements, criticizing Republican George W. Bush’s wartime decisions while praising Democrat Jimmy Carter’s achievements. Neither Biden nor Obama has publicly commented on their critical portrayals in this permanent White House exhibition.