What exact language appears on each plaque of the Presidential Walk of Fame and where can full transcripts be found?
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Executive summary
A new set of plaques—the White House’s so‑called “Presidential Walk of Fame”—was installed beneath portraits outside the West Wing and contains short, partisan character sketches that in many cases directly insult or praise recent presidents; major outlets have published notable excerpts but the provided reporting does not contain a single, authoritative, complete transcript of every plaque [1] [2] [3]. Full verbatim texts have been reproduced by several news organizations that photographed and transcribed the plaques; those reproduce the language reporters saw on the colonnade [4] [5] [3] [6].
1. What the plaques say — the lines repeated across reporting
Reporting documents several precise lines that appear on individual plaques: Joe Biden’s plaque is repeatedly cited calling him “Sleepy” and describing him as “by far, the worst President in American history” and in at least one instance asserting he took office “as a result of the most corrupt election ever,” language reproduced in multiple outlets [2] [7] [3]. Barack Obama’s plaque is quoted as beginning “Barack Hussein Obama was the first Black President…” and calling him “one of the most divisive political figures in American history,” while criticizing the Affordable Care Act and the Paris accords [6] [3] [4]. Bill Clinton’s plaque is reported to read in part, “In 2016, President Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton, lost the Presidency to President Donald J. Trump!” [8] [9]. Ronald Reagan’s plaque is described as effusive praise, calling him “The Great Communicator” and noting his 1984 landslide and high approval upon leaving office [1] [5]. President Trump’s own plaques (two, one per term) are characterized as laudatory and self‑praising, citing claimed accomplishments, denouncing perceived “weaponization” of law enforcement against him and heralding a “Golden Age of America” [3] [6]. Reporters also note visual choices such as a framed autopen signature used in place of Joe Biden’s portrait [10].
2. How comprehensive are published transcriptions and where to find them
Several outlets published photographed excerpts and what they described as full plaque texts: Newsweek ran a “read in full” package reproducing many of the captions [4]; the Daily Wire published the descriptions for every president as reported from the Walk of Fame [5]; the New York Times and CNN provided detailed reproductions and multiple quoted passages along with photographs [3] [6]. Reuters and AP published specific quoted lines and photographic coverage that corroborate the language seen by reporters on site [8] [2]. Those news articles are the practical way, based on available reporting, to read the precise language as installed on the colonnade [4] [5] [3] [6].
3. What is not resolved by the reporting and why that matters
The publicly available coverage reproduces many verbatim lines but the set of supplied sources does not include a single official White House document that aggregates every plaque’s text into an authoritative transcript; White House spokespeople said plaques were “eloquently written” and “many were written directly by the President,” but the reporting does not cite a posted official transcript on whitehouse.gov [4]. Independent fact‑checkers and mainstream outlets note that several plaque claims are inaccurate or misleading, and those disputes are documented in BBC and New York Times reporting; readers should treat the plaque text as the White House’s interpretation rather than an uncontested historical record [11] [12] [3].
4. Bottom line for researchers
To see the exact language photographed and published so far, consult the outlet reproductions: Newsweek’s “read in full” article and accompanying photos [4], the Daily Wire reproduction of the set [5], the New York Times’ report with quoted passages and images [3], and CNN’s detailed excerpts [6]; Reuters and AP provide corroborating photographic reporting and select verbatim lines [8] [2]. If an official White House transcript is required, the provided sources do not show one posted publicly, so researchers should check the White House press office for any primary release beyond the media transcriptions cited here [4].