Trump declares Oval Office a national monument after midterm losses
Signed as his first official act since Tuesday's midterm defeats, the proclamation covers the Oval Office, Cabinet Room and Outer Oval Office, though future presidents could still redecorate.
At a glance
- Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday making the Oval Office, Cabinet Room and Outer Oval Office a national monument.
- It was his first official act after his party lost Tuesday's midterm elections, handing Democrats control of Congress in January.
- The designation orders National Park Service management but does not stop future presidents from redecorating or revoking it.
US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday declaring the Oval Office, the adjoining Cabinet Room and the Outer Oval Office a national monument, his first official act since his party's sweeping losses in Tuesday's midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters at the signing, which took place behind the president's desk and beneath a red "VETO" baseball cap placed on top of it, Trump said the designation would stop the rooms being "touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people" to build something in a slightly different shape. He described the two first-floor West Wing rooms as "a landmark for the ages".
The proclamation tasks the interior secretary with managing the monument through the National Park Service. It also requires documentation, review and consideration of alternatives before any action that would substantially alter or demolish the monument, and says the designation is meant to preserve the spaces' historic character, architectural integrity and association with the presidency.
Limits of the designation
The measure does not stop future presidents from restyling the Oval Office. A successor can revise or revoke a proclamation through a new executive action — a route Trump himself used to shrink two national monuments in Utah during his first term, and again in his second term after Joe Biden had fully restored them. The text explicitly states it does not restrict the president's authority to redecorate, select furnishings or change the decor.
Third project event of the week
The signing was Trump's third event of the week drawing attention to his signature renovation projects, coming straight after his party's defeat at the polls. Those efforts include demolishing the East Wing to make way for a highly contentious, nearly $1bn White House ballroom above a multistorey underground bunker, and a proposed 76-metre (250ft) triumphal arch along the approach to Arlington National Cemetery. A renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that cost more than $14m failed.
The projects have drawn sharp criticism from opposition lawmakers and many Americans, and public opinion polls have signalled dissatisfaction with the administration's domestic spending choices and economic priorities. The administration also faces lawsuits alleging some of its Washington beautification projects went ahead without the necessary approval.
Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has added personal flourishes across the White House: flagpoles on the North and South Lawns in June of last year, a stone patio laid over the Rose Garden lawn, a multimillion-dollar granite helicopter pad on the South Lawn, a golden makeover of the Oval Office, and a "Presidential Walk of Fame" of portraits along the West Wing Colonnade in September of last year, with plaques that include partisan criticism of former presidents.
Trump did not elaborate on what he hoped to prevent, but suggested the Oval Office might face a threat in the future. "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."
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Can a future president change the Oval Office after it is declared a national monument?
- Yes. Proclamations can be revised or revoked by a successor through a new executive action, and the text states it does not restrict the president's authority to redecorate, select furnishings or change the decor.
- What other renovation projects has Trump highlighted this week?
- A nearly $1bn White House ballroom built over a multistorey underground bunker after the East Wing's demolition, a proposed 76-metre triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, and a failed Reflecting Pool renovation costing more than $14m.
- Who manages the new national monument?
- The proclamation orders the interior secretary to manage it through the National Park Service, with documentation, review and consideration of alternatives required before any action that would substantially alter or demolish it.
