Washington DC, SAEDNEWS, Jan. 23: The Biden administration on Friday defended the decision to remove a bust of former U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill from the Oval Office -- creating a bright video designed to remind people "what the Special Relationship is truly about."
"We’ve seen some discussion about the Churchill Bust, so we just wanted to remind everyone what the Special Relationship is truly about," a tweet from the U.S. Embassy to the U.K. said.
The video contrasts pictures of the bust, which it describes as "just a bust of Winston Churchill" with pictures of former presidents meeting with former prime ministers -- and highlights of the U.S. U.K. relationship.
"Largest investors in each others countries. This is the Special Relationship," the video said. "The Special Relationship is about people, values & trust."
President Biden had removed the bust of former U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill from display in the Oval Office. The Washington Post, as part of a tour of the new design of the famous room, reported that Biden "does not have the bust on display." However, other busts, including labor leader Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr., are on display.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair had loaned President George W. Bush a bust of the British wartime leader in 2001. Former President Barack Obama had caused controversy by removing it when he entered office in 2009, and it was viewed by critics as a snub of the U.S.-U.K. alliance -- although his White House noted that there was still a Churchill bust elsewhere in the building.
The controversy simmered for years, with then-London Mayor Boris Johnson noting in 2016 that "some said it was a snub to Britain."
Former President Donald Trump restored a bust of Churchill to the Oval Office when he became president, and posted with then-Prime Minister Theresa May during their first meeting in Washington in 2017.
"This is the original folks, in many, many ways," he told the press at the time. "It’s a great honor to have Winston Churchill back." (Source: Fox News).
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