On Christmas Day, Joe Rogan took to his podcast to denounce President Trump’s new White House plaque, calling the description of former President Biden’s tenure “so crazy” and warning it could set a dangerous precedent.
Rogan’s Critique
During an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” released on Christmas Day, Rogan told his guest, comedian Shane Gillis, “This is so crazy,” and added, “You shouldn’t be allowed to do this. Right?”
He argued that historians, not the current commander-in-chief, should write the plaques for presidents along the Presidential Walk of Fame that Trump added to the White House.
The Controversial Plaque
Rogan read Biden’s plaque aloud, which referred to Trump’s dual successor and predecessor as “Sleepy Joe Biden,” a nickname the president has used. The plaque also contains the line: “Nicknamed both “Sleepy” and “Crooked,”” – a statement that Rogan said seemed to echo public sentiment. He noted, “Like the whole public got together – ‘I’ve got a name for this guy!'”
Rogan repeated that the descriptions were “crazy” and warned that if the current president can dictate plaque content, future leaders might do the same, potentially eroding the White House’s neutrality.
Gillis Responds
Gillis countered that Trump was not “beating back the dictator charges” with the language used in the plaques. He suggested that future presidents were unlikely to follow suit, to which Rogan replied, “God, I hope not.”
When asked whether California Governor Gavin Newsom, a possible 2028 Democratic nominee, would replicate the practice, Rogan said, “Of course he would. He copies everything that Trump does. He even tries to talk like Trump on Twitter. You don’t think that he would put up plaques that talk about how corrupt Trump was and about how terrible – ‘He was quoted as lying over 5,000 times by The Washington Post,’ you know.”
Other Plaques on the Colonnade
The plaques were spotted under photos of former presidents that Trump added along the West Wing Colonnade last week. Several of the plaques, including Biden’s, mock the leader in question, while others insert references to Trump.
Biden’s plaque, seen below an image of an autopen, refers to the 46th president as “the worst president in American history.” Former President Obama’s plaque similarly called him “one of the most divisive political figures in American history.”
The plaque for former President Clinton refers to Trump’s 2016 victory over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was first lady from 1993 to 2001. The plaque for former President Reagan says that the 40th president was “a fan of President Donald J. Trump long before President Trump’s historic run for the White House.”
Key Takeaways
- Joe Rogan criticized Trump’s plaque for Biden as “so crazy” and warned about precedent.
- The plaques mock former presidents and include references to Trump.
- Rogan and Gillis debated whether future presidents will follow Trump’s lead.
The controversy highlights how political narratives can be embedded in public monuments and raises questions about the role of the presidency in shaping historical memory.
