The White House has just unveiled a brand-new “Presidential Walk of Fame” — and one detail instantly blew up online.
Alongside the black-and-white portraits of past leaders sits a glaring omission. Instead of Joe Biden’s official portrait, visitors are greeted with a photograph of an autopen — the mechanical device that stamped his signature during his final months in office.
According to officials, the idea came straight from Donald Trump himself. It’s the latest jab in his ongoing effort to undermine Biden’s reliance on the gadget, which he’s mocked for months.
A Brutal Swipe At Biden
The installation runs along the West Colonnade, the walkway that leads to the West Wing. Every president gets a spot. Between George W. Bush and Barack Obama should hang Biden’s image. Instead, a framed photo of the autopen takes its place.
The swap breaks with tradition. Normally, portraits go up regardless of political rivalry. But Trump’s aides say the move is deliberate — a reminder of Biden’s end-of-term paperwork signed by machine.
Biden’s office refused to comment. But the clip posted by Trump’s comms team went viral within hours. Cameras even caught Trump strolling casually past the frames, pausing right by the autopen shot.
Why The Autopen Matters
Autopens have been around for decades. They’re basically motorised pens that can reproduce a stored signature. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have used them for routine letters, holiday cards, even condolence notes.
But Biden’s use hit headlines in his final weeks, when he authorised a large number of pardons and commutations. Critics claimed it was improper. Trump went further, calling it “disrespectful to our country” and branding the clemency “illegal.”
At a joint presser in London earlier this year, Trump doubled down. “Joe Biden wasn’t giving those orders,” he said. “The autopen was illegal… I hope it’s going to be judged that way.”
Biden pushed back. Speaking to the New York Times in July, he insisted: “I made every single one of those,” referring to the clemency actions. “They know it.”
So is it legal? A Justice Department memo from 2005 says a president can direct someone to use the autopen for bills he has already decided to sign. Barack Obama famously used it in 2011 while in France, racing to extend the Patriot Act before it expired.
But the memo never ruled on pardons. That’s where the fight is now. Trump claims Biden’s actions are void. Legal experts say past presidents have quietly done the same thing. Courts have never weighed in.
More Than Just A Portrait
The Biden swap is part of a bigger makeover under Trump. Gold detailing in the Oval Office. New flagpoles and a paved terrace in the Rose Garden. Paintings of Democratic icons shuffled out of sight.
The Walk of Fame fits that pattern. Bold visuals. Straightforward messaging. Every time Trump or a foreign leader walks the colonnade, the cameras catch the row of presidents — with Biden reduced to a machine.
Democrats blasted the move as petty and disrespectful. Republicans loved it, sharing the clip across X and Instagram with captions like “perfect” and “absolutely savage.”
Reuters described it as “a break from decorum.” Axios said it was another step in Trump’s strategy to “delegitimize Biden’s final acts.”
Behind the scenes, GOP lawmakers are already pushing for more documents on Biden’s use of the device. Whether courts or investigators actually challenge those actions remains to be seen.
The Bottom Line
For now, the West Colonnade tells the story. Rows of presidents line the walkway. Where Joe Biden should hang, a framed photo of his autopen stares back.
It’s part troll, part political message — and it locks Trump’s point of view into the literal walls of the White House.
Biden’s only on-record answer so far? The words he told the Times: “I made every single one of those.”
Featured image credit: The White House
