Trump Declares His Gold Oval Office a National Monument That Nobody Can Ever Touch

Trump signed a proclamation Thursday that he says will turn his redesigned Oval Office and Cabinet Room into a landmark nobody can ever change.

“We have something that’s of great interest to a lot of people: the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room,” Trump said before signing. “And I’m going to be signing a document which will make them into a landmark for the ages. It won’t be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched, or anything else.”

He called it a federal landmark and said that once the paperwork is finished and “legally binding, it’ll make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space.” Speaking to reporters, he described it as a national monument. “We’re making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody,” he said.

The Oval Office he wants frozen in place is the one he redecorated after returning to the White House, now filled with gold accents, portraits of famous Americans pulled from storage and a copy of the Declaration of Independence on the wall.

Asked whether a future president could make changes, Trump said nothing major could happen without Congress. “So if they want to say ‘let’s not have Oval anymore, let’s make it square,’ what happens is they have to go back to Congress, and hopefully the Congress… will be smart enough not to let that happen,” he said.

That Congress is about to look very different. The signing came two days after Republicans took sweeping losses in the midterm elections, handing Democrats control of Congress.

What the proclamation does legally is still an open question. A proclamation is a formal document a president signs to announce a policy or designation. The White House already holds National Historic Landmark status, a federal recognition for places of national historic importance, so it is unclear what extra protection this adds or whether it would bind a future president.

The order is the latest in a string of Trump’s Washington building projects, which also include his new ballroom and changes involving the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

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Dee Dee Henderson

Dee Dee Henderson is a Poli Alert journalist covering national politics, elections and the policies that hit closest to home for Black communities, from voting rights and the economy to the courts. She reports the facts first and isn't afraid to say what they mean, and her commentary pieces are clearly labeled as opinion. Her midterm coverage breaks down deadlines, ballot measures and the races that will decide who holds power in Washington.

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