USAupdated 34m ago2 min read
MapTrump Signs Proclamation Designating Oval Office and Cabinet Room National Landmarks
“However, the next president can redecorate, removing Trump’s gold trim and numerous paintings, if that person wishes.”
“Trump noted Congress would have to ratify the proclamation, and that ‘no major modifications’ would be able to be made to the rooms without approval from Congress.”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
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Trump signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as national monuments. Modifications to the rooms require congressional approval to proceed.
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Landmark Proclamation Signed
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday designating the White House Oval Office and Cabinet Room as national landmarks, which he said would protect the two West Wing spaces from future changes.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “It concerns the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, very important spaces. And I’m going to be signing a document which will make them into a landmark for the ages,” and he said the administration would send the measure to Congress.
Trump said the proclamation would make it “impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space,” once the documentation was completed and legally binding.
Trump’s signing ceremony came after Republicans’ midterm losses on Tuesday, and CNN said the event was his third of the week tied to his construction or renovation projects in Washington, which have been largely unpopular with voters.
Congress Approval and Shape
Trump said the proclamation would require congressional approval for “no major modifications” to the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, and he argued that future changes like making the Oval Office square would have to go back to Congress. Trump told reporters, “No major modification without the approval of Congress,” and he added, “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.”
Trump also said the Oval Office would not be allowed to be “touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people in order to build something in a slightly different shape.” USA Today said the text of the proclamation was not immediately available, and it said the degree of changes allowed under the designation was not clear.
After Midterm Losses
The proclamation followed Trump’s second-term redesign of the White House, including gold vermeil figurines on the Oval Office mantle and medallions on the fireplace, gold eagles on the side tables, and gilded Rococo mirrors on the doors. Trump said he added those features so that “nobody be allowed to come in and take it down and try and do something with it,” and he also described the Oval Office as “a symbol, like the White House itself.”
The Hill said Trump had made changes to the White House campus during his second administration, including knocking down the East Wing to build the White House ballroom without congressional authorization, and it said the Supreme Court ruled the construction could proceed. Trump’s Oval Office appearance also included discussion of the economy and upcoming policy announcements, and he told reporters, “Prices will come way down.”