On this Presidents’ Day 2023, Donald Trump is still the president on the display at the White House Visitor Center. The National Park Service (NPS) gave me new reasons why Joe Biden is not on the “presidents wall” two years after he was inaugurated. The Park Service also made a public call to action to try to stop the viral, social media sensation. 

The bizarre refusal of the government to even put an end year on Trump has made the wall inside the official White House museum a popular stop for social media users and tourists.

I’ve been videotaping NPS officials at the information desk answering my questions about the Washington, D.C. mystery over the past five months. Now, in Feb. 2023, I decided to go to the NPS information desk at the visitor center without my phone recording video to see if I could get more information that way. 

Wall Swarmed

This is my Q&A with the park service official:

EM: Hi there! I bet you know what I am asking about. 

NPS: That wall. 

EM: I’m sure you’re tired of all these questions. 

NPS: We’re used to it. Hundreds. I got people all over this place from social media. They are lying on the floor taking pictures. 

I told him I’m one of the social media people who have been following the wall’s lack of progress.

Past Excuses

As I first reported in this story in Oct. 2022– and in this Youtube video showing the officials — the Park Service said the delay was because they had to take down all the panels of the wall to change the Trump/Biden part. A NPS spokesman told me on Oct. 12 that they were working on my request for more information but has not responded to my follow-up emails. 

When I went back (story here) in Nov. 2022, a different NPS official at the information desk said on the second YouTube video that it took two years to update the wall after Barack Obama left office (although no one can confirm this.)

Biden Portraits, Artists, Funding

My discussion with the NPS official continued here:

EM: Yes it’s really gone viral because no one understands why it’s not done. 

NPS: Well we had to wait for the Biden official portrait. 

EM: Actually that portrait has been in all the federal agencies and military bases since his first year. 

[He didn’t reply]

EM: Last I was here in the fall, your colleague said they had to take out the whole wall to add the one photo, and it takes time. But nothing has changed. 

NPS:  We need to find a vendor who can do that work on it. 

EM: It’s not the same one every four years? 

NPS: No, and we have a lot of meetings about this. And there is a financial issue. 

EM: Who pays for it? The White House or the Park Service? 

NPS: Above us. It goes to the top of the Interior Department. Someone has to authorize taking funds form this account to this other account. 

Out of Excuses

EM:  I don’t understand why the Park Services doesn't just fix it in some way to end the public problem. They could just tape up a photo of Biden. Or they could move the cardboard display for him to the other side of the wall. None of that would cost anything. Or they could just make a new display and put all the presidents' photos individually. People just don’t get why this has gone on for over two years now. 

NPS: Well if I had my way, I would take that wall out of here completely! Or I’d just throw a cover over it. But I just keep going to more meetings about it. 

EM: Well at this rate, they aren’t going to get it done until after the next presidential election. Look, I’m sure you’re tired of all of us asking you questions. What do you want people following this to know?

NPS: You tell them to go to the top! Don’t keep asking us. We can’t do anything. [The government leaders] aren’t going to do anything about this unless they feel the pressure directly.

EM: Okay so who is at the top? 

NPS: The secretary of the Interior. And the director of the Park Service. If they hear from the public, it will push them to deal with this. 

EM: Okay, I’ll get the word out, and thank you for being so patient with the same questions all day. 

Contact “The Top”

U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland

• Send a message online: https://www.doi.gov/contact-us

• Main Phone: (202) 208-3100

National Park Service Director Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III 

• Main Phone: 202-208-6843

• Send an email option seems removed from this site. 

  

  Happy Presidents’ Day!

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