Bush removed it. Obama reinstalled it. Will a plaque honoring Hillary Clinton stay in place under Trump? – Washington Post

He coined the nickname Crooked Hillary. He led his supporters in chants of Lock her up! And even long after their bitter contest ended, President Trump can rarely resist an opportunity to take a jab at Hillary Clinton.

So it may come as something of a surprise that a lavish plaque, dedicated to the accomplishments of Trumps vanquished opponent,is still prominently displayed at the U.S. Agency for International Development in downtown Washington at least, for now.

[Trump can usually make it about a third of the way through an interview without mentioning Hillary Clinton]

The plaque has a rather convoluted history, with an on-again, off-again presence in the stately Ronald Reagan Building. The 800-pound bronze plaque is 6 feet wide by 9 feet tall and features an excerpt of one of Clintons speeches, as well as glowing quote from former USAID administrator J. Brian Atwood: May all who pass through these portals recognize the invaluable contribution to worldwide development made by the First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

It first went up in 1999, framed by a dozen photographs capturing the former first ladys visits to countries across the world. The display, which cost over $27,000 to create and tens of thousands more to install, transformed the lobby into a shrine for Clinton, Washington Post columnist Al Kamen wrote in 2010.

But it didnt last. When George W. Bush took office, the plaque was first covered, then ultimately removed and shipped to a warehouse for storage. It wasnt until 2010 during Obamas firstterm, after Clinton became secretary of state that the plaque was reinstalled in USAIDs lobby (minus the surrounding haloof framed photographs).

[Why Trump and the conservative media are still obsessed with Hillary Clinton]

Clinton had joked about the whereabouts of the missing plaque during a visit to USAID in January 2009. I was quite honored upon leaving the White House to have a plaque put up in the lobby recognizing my work, she said, And if anybody knows where that plaque is, Id just love to see it again.

She later told The Post that if the plaque was returned, she did not want public funding to pay for the cost so unidentified private donors covered the bill, according to Kamens column.

But now, of course, the political tides have turned again. The White House is home to a new president, one who has made it clear that he has hardly forgotten his volatile battle with an opponent who won the popular vote. Trumps nominee to lead USAID, Mark Green, was sworn in as the agencys new administrator this month.

As for the future of Clintons wall-mounted tribute, a spokesman for the agency declined to offer any comment beyond a statement confirming the plaques current location: The plaque is in the USAID lobby.

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Bush removed it. Obama reinstalled it. Will a plaque honoring Hillary Clinton stay in place under Trump? - Washington Post

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