President Donald Trump is once again making decorative changes to the White House, criticizing former President Joe Biden in the process.
The White House installed a new presidential portrait gallery along the West Wing Colonnade, which was unveiled on Wednesday. While the new “Presidential Walk of Fame” includes portraits of all presidents in gilded frames, Biden’s portrait has been replaced with an image of an autopen.
The White House announced the change on social media.
Trump has long criticized Biden’s use of the autopen, which is a common method of signing official documents when signatories are unable to do so. Autopens are widely used on Capitol Hill and in the White House, and former presidents from both parties have used them.
Trump has made baseless claims that Biden didn’t understand what was going on during his presidency because he used an autopen to sign bills and pardons. Trump has suggested that the pardons signed by Biden using the technology be considered null and void.
Biden has disputed Trump’s claims.
“Let me clarify: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions regarding pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. “Any suggestion that I didn’t is absurd and false,” Biden said in his statement.
Trump has hinted in recent weeks that he will follow through on this extraordinary move, as he continues to disparage Biden’s legacy.
“I have a decision to make. “We posted a picture of the autopen,” Trump said in an interview with The Daily Caller earlier this month.
The colonnade has been an iconic feature of the White House since it was built during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. Presidents and their staff have used the open-air walkway to quickly travel between the West Wing and the Executive Residence.
The gallery is part of Trump’s larger changes to the White House grounds, which include paving over the grass and adding umbrella-topped tables where he has since hosted dinners at the so-called “Rose Garden Club.”
Construction is also underway for an expansive new ballroom, which Trump has promoted.
This is also not the first time Trump has attempted to use his power to remove symbols of those with whom he disagrees from display inside the White House.
In June, the Trump White House took down a portrait of Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, secretary of state, and 2016 presidential candidate. Clinton’s portrait has been replaced with a red, white, and blue painting of Trump. Then, in August, Trump moved portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush from the White House’s entryway to a less prominent position.
