Donald Trump is well underway with his latest gold-plated vision for the White House.
Photographers have captured pictures of the work-in-progress at the White House Rose Garden to transform its colonnade into Trump’s personal “Presidential Hall of Fame.”
A gaudy gold banner hangs with “Presidential Hall of Fame” printed in a dated font, along with a row of brown paper signifying where portraits of former presidents will be erected.
Trump flagged his plans for the Hall of Fame in an interview with far-right website The Daily Caller on September 1, claiming that all the presidential portraits will be black and white with his trademark beloved gold frames.
But not all presidents will be getting the golden treatment. When asked if there would be a portrait of Joe Biden in the Hall of Fame, Trump said, apparently seriously, “We put up a picture of the autopen.”
He was referencing the mechanical device he claims Biden used to sign official documents, suggesting it was “the biggest political scandal in American history.”
Trump showed Reese the autopen photo earmarked for his Hall of Fame, noting it would be the “same picture, but black and white,” in the interview, which took place at the White House.
He cryptically added, “and I’m not using that one with the smile. I’m using… show the other one that we’re using because I like it. This is going to be very controversial.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Who will feature on Trump’s wall remains a mystery. Trump suggested to the Daily Caller that there would be two portraits of Democrat Grover Cleveland (the 22nd and 24th president of the United States) and two of himself in the Hall of Fame.
“We have two. So you put up two,” Trump said. “I feel a little guilty doing it, because you could put up one, but the way they do it is they put up two.”
He referenced a private hallway of presidential portraits at the Washington Hilton as part of the “President’s Walk” that is not open to the public, saying that was the only version of a Presidential Hall of Fame he knew of.
“That’s the only one I’ve ever seen… They must have Presidential Wall of Fames, right? I’ve never seen one except at the Hilton.”
Clermont, Florida, is home to a Presidents Hall of Fame, with a Replica Mount Rushmore out front. The popular tourist attraction has wax figures of each president and a miniature version of the White House. It boasts a 4.2 star rating on Yelp.
The Presidential Hall of Fame is on brand with other Trump tweaks to the White House.
As an art lover, Trump knows what he likes-portraits of himself. There are at least five portraits of the president in the White House. One titled Fight, Fight, Fight sees artist Marc Lipp recreate a photo of a bloodied Trump taken shortly after the assassination attempt on his life in 2024.
It now hangs in the entrance hall of the White House, where Barack Obama’s official portrait once took pride of place.
A pop-art style recreation of Trump’s face and the American flag hangs in the East Wing Visitor Foyer, between portraits of former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, and is next to Melania Trump’s office.
Another Trump portrait hangs in the West Wing hallway between portraits of Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln.
As well as art, the president has installed two gigantic flagpoles, as well as paving over the iconic Rose Garden lawn, to bring it in line with his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago.
The penchant for gold has seen him Trump-ify the Oval Office with gold-plated moldings, gold photo frames, cherubs, mirrors, coasters and trophies.
Trump’s other plans include building a ballroom at the White House, to seat 900 people.
“We’re making it a little bigger. It will be top-of-the-line, as good as it can get anywhere in the world,” Trump said.
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