President Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24, 2026, for a state visit -- Xi's first trip to the White House in more than a decade. While walking Xi along the West Colonnade, Trump stopped at the "Presidential Walk of Fame," a gallery of framed presidential portraits Trump installed in September 2025.
In the spot where a portrait of Joe Biden would normally hang, the display instead uses a photograph of an autopen, a device that mechanically reproduces a signature. Pointing to it, Trump told Xi, "This is the autopen ... it's Biden," according to a video the White House posted to its official social media account. Xi and members of his delegation laughed at the remark.
What the display is
The Presidential Walk of Fame runs along the West Colonnade, connecting the West Wing to the Executive Residence. It features gold-framed portraits of every U.S. president. Biden is the only one without a traditional portrait; his frame instead holds a photo of an autopen. The display was first unveiled in September 2025 and formally dedicated that November, with bronze plaques added beneath each portrait in December 2025.
Trump's claims about Biden's autopen use
The autopen display reflects claims Trump and his administration have repeatedly made -- not independently established as fact -- that Biden aides used an autopen to sign pardons and other official documents without Biden's direct authorization. Trump signed a memorandum in June 2025 directing an investigation into Biden's use of the device, which cited alleged cognitive decline. Biden and his former aides have disputed those characterizations.
The broader visit
The autopen moment came amid a state visit that included a formal arrival ceremony, a bilateral meeting on trade and AI, and a state dinner. It reciprocated Trump's own state visit to China in May 2026.
