Donald Trump Designates Oval Office as National Monument

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday designating the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as national monuments and federal landmarks. The move aims to prevent future administrations from altering or destroying the rooms, which Trump has outfitted with gold accents, new chandeliers, and Louis XIV-style elements. Trump stated that the designations would make it impossible for anyone to destroy the spaces and suggested that future modifications should require congressional approval.

Despite the president's claims that the spaces will not be touched, the proclamation's text allows successors to make operational modifications or redecorate, and a future president could potentially reverse the designation entirely. Trump is requesting that Congress attach formal federal designations to the rooms to make the status legally binding.

The announcement follows significant Republican losses in the midterm elections, which granted Democrats control of both the House and the Senate. Trump's broader White House beautification efforts include the demolition of the East Wing to construct a 90,000-square-foot ballroom costing $600 million and the installation of a granite helipad. These renovations drew criticism from former President Barack Obama, who compared the gold-heavy decor to a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein. In response, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dined at a Cheesecake Factory, while Senator Richard Blumenthal began demanding information from donors to the ballroom project.