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President Donald Trump has taken steps to prevent future presidents from altering the Oval Office — after he refurbished the space with countless golden adornments.
During a ceremony Thursday afternoon, two days after Republicans suffered crushing midterm losses, Trump declared both the Oval Office and the White House Cabinet Room national monuments.
“We’re going to send it over to Congress to have it ratified,” the president said, referring to an executive order placed on the Resolute Desk. “It will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people in order to build something in a slightly different shape.”
For instance, he suggested a future White House occupant could decide: “Let’s not have an oval anymore, let’s make it square.”
Remarking on the flurry of changes last month, Barack Obama said Trump’s White House looks “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” MAGA supporters took it as a personal insult, an elitist jab — but did not have much room to complain since shortly thereafter, Trump joked about how most of his supporters could never afford to eat at Mar-a-Lago.
During his second term, the 80-year-old president has transformed the Oval Office, perhaps more extensively than any other modern president. He has filled the room with gold accents, including appliqués, cherubs and urns, and lined the walls with framed portraits. Outside the entrance, he has added a sign in gold cursive lettering that reads “The Oval Office.”
Built in 1909 by William Howard Taft, the executive office is a microcosm of Trump’s broader transformation of the White House and the nation’s capital. He has knocked down the East Wing to make room for a gargantuan ballroom— a move that courts ruled likely exceeded his legal authority — installed a helipad on the lawn, paved over the Rose Garden, and made plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch.
Trump’s attempt to secure the Oval Office comes days after Democrats swept a string of red states, retaking both the House and the Senate.
Since then, he has appeared intent on securing a legacy that cannot be undone. The day after Election Day, he led reporters on a tour of the ballroom under construction, brushing aside political questions and urging them to watch workers hoist a steel beam.
The president’s Thursday announcement drew widespread criticism online, with many users pointing out that Trump himself had made major changes to the White House.
“The guy that’s destroyed 1/2 the White House, & super glued gold squigglies on every wall, says he’s gonna make it illegal to desecrate the White House,” wrote one user.
“Trump is more concerned about protecting his gold wallpaper than protecting Americans from high prices,” added another. “The same man who tore down the East Wing now wants to lecture America about historic preservation. The hypocrisy is spectacular.”
Others pointed out that a future president could simply reverse Trump’s executive order protecting the Oval Office with the flick of a pen.
Trump, however, appeared adamant that his directive would outlast his presidency.
“If anyone ever decides to come and start knocking down walls, you’ll call me wherever I may be, and I will come here, and I will make sure it never happens,” he said.