Trump signs Oval Office monument decree
The proclamation allows future presidents to redecorate and requires documentation before major structural changes, but Trump claims it protects the room from drastic alterations.
By Kofi Costa ·
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday declaring the Oval Office and Cabinet Room a national monument. This was his first official action following the Republican losses in the Tuesday midterm elections. The move comes as Democrats prepare for increased oversight of the administration.
The document states that the Interior secretary will manage the site. It requires documentation, review, and consideration of alternatives before any action that would substantially alter or demolish the monument. However, the text explicitly preserves the authority of any president to redecorate, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications that do not substantially impair the historic structure or architectural character.
Trump described the order in expansive terms during his remarks. "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," he said. "We like the Oval Office, and it’s a symbol, like the White House itself."
The proclamation does not prevent a future president from rolling back the designation. Trump himself has reversed national monument designations made by his predecessors. He also suggested that major changes would need review from Congress, though such a requirement is not included in the document's text. "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, the people in Congress, will be smart enough not to let that happen," Trump stated.
During the signing, a red baseball cap with the word "VETO" on the front sat on the Resolute Desk. This item served as a visual reference to the shifting balance of power in Congress following the election results. Trump has spent the week focusing on Washington construction projects. On Wednesday, he signed the final beam for his ballroom project. On Monday, he discussed renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The president has overseen numerous design changes since returning to the White House. The Oval Office now features portraits, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and numerous golden accents. Trump noted that new chandeliers were installed in the Cabinet Room to address "very bad lighting." His other additions include gold wall appliqués and gold-framed portraits.
Democratic scrutiny is already intensifying. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent letters to known donors of Trump’s ballroom on Thursday. He demanded information or threatened "alternative measures to obtain compliance." Trump has faced lawsuits alleging that his Washington beautification projects lacked necessary approval.
Trump did not elaborate on specific threats to the Oval Office but suggested he would monitor its condition. "If anybody ever decides to come and start knocking down walls, you call me wherever I may be," he said. "and I’ll come back here and I’ll make sure it never happens."
