WASHINGTON, DC—President Donald J. Trump, freshly reinstated in the Oval Office, has replaced President Joe Biden’s official White House portrait with a framed, larger-than-life image of Otto, the inflatable autopilot from the 1980s comedy classic Airplane!. The bold decor change, unveiled early this morning, has sent shockwaves through the Beltway and sparked a firestorm of reactions across social media and cable news.

“Why not? That’s what ran the country,” Trump quipped to a gaggle of reporters outside the White House, gesturing toward the glossy portrait of Otto, the bug-eyed, inflatable copilot, now hanging prominently in the State Dining Room. “Look, folks, Otto did a tremendous job, okay? Tremendous. He flew the plane, saved the day, and didn’t fall asleep at the wheel. People are saying it’s the best leadership we’ve seen in years. Believe me.”

The move comes just weeks into Trump’s second term, a period already marked by his signature flair for the dramatic. Sources close to the administration say the decision to ditch Biden’s portrait—traditionally a somber, oil-painted likeness of the 46th president—was made after Trump “got bored” during a late-night screening of Airplane! in the White House theater. “He kept saying, ‘Otto’s a winner, a real leader,’” an anonymous aide reported. “Then he called the maintenance crew at 2 a.m. to hang the thing.”

Liberal media outlets, predictably, took the bait, with CNN’s headline screaming, “TRUMP DEFACES WHITE HOUSE WITH BIZARRE MOVIE STUNT,” while MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow called it “a grotesque mockery of democratic tradition.” Social media exploded with #OttoGate trending, as memes of Otto saluting in a MAGA hat flooded X. One user posted, “If Otto’s in charge, I’m moving to Canada. Surely, he’s not serious. Surely, he’s not serious.”

The Biden family, meanwhile, pushed back hard against Trump’s insinuation that the former president’s tenure resembled the autopilot’s bumbling yet oddly effective stint in the cockpit. “This is an outrageous and baseless attack,” said a spokesperson for the Bidens. “President Biden led with dignity, compassion, and focus—unlike a rubber dummy from a slapstick movie.” The statement added that as soon as Joe Biden awakens from “another well-deserved nap,” he will issue a full response. Sources close to the former president say he’s currently “recharging” at his Delaware home, with aides promising a statement “sometime after his 3 p.m. ice cream break.”

White House decorators confirmed the Otto portrait—a high-resolution print complete with a gold-plated frame—now hangs where Biden’s image once did, alongside past presidents like Lincoln, Kennedy, and Reagan. “It’s got a certain… charm,” one staffer said, stifling a laugh. “The president says it’s a tribute to ‘real American ingenuity’ and ‘the best of Hollywood.’”

Critics argue the move is yet another attempt by Trump to troll his opponents, while supporters cheered it as a “genius” jab at the establishment. “Biden’s portrait? Boring. Sleepy. Otto? Hilarious. Iconic,” said a rallygoer outside Mar-a-Lago. The controversy has even sparked a petition to replace all White House art with Airplane! cast members, with Ted Striker and Elaine Dickinson leading the polls.

As the nation braces for Biden’s eventual retort, Trump doubled down on X, posting: “Otto: strong, reliable, never quits. Biden: naps, stumbles, you know the rest. Great decision, maybe my best ever. Enjoy the new art, folks!” The post, liked over 2 million times, has only fanned the flames of a debate no one saw coming.

Whether Otto will remain a White House fixture or be grounded by backlash remains to be seen. For now, the inflatable autopilot presides over state dinners, a silent sentinel of Trump’s unorthodox return to power. Surely, he’s not serious. Surely, he’s not serious.

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