Trump signs order declaring Oval Office a national monument
The US president's order covers the Oval Office and some surrounding rooms, a status he says will stop future presidents altering the space.
At a glance
- Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday making the Oval Office a national monument.
- The order also covers some surrounding rooms and directs the National Park Service to protect its character.
- A preservation lawyer says presidents already control furniture and decor, and calls the move legally meaningless.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday declaring the Oval Office a national monument, a step he says will prevent future presidents from changing the room.
Trump, who has added numerous gold features to the office's walls during his second term, told reporters the designation meant it could not be "touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down" in order to build something in a slightly different shape. He described the office as a symbol of the country, like the White House itself.
What the order does
The order designates the Oval Office along with some surrounding rooms as a national monument. US presidents have the power to create such monuments, which are comparable to national parks, and the document directs the National Park Service to maintain the office in a way that protects its historic character, architectural integrity and association with the presidency.
It also states that it does not restrict the president's authority to redecorate, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications that do not substantially impair the monument's historic structure or architectural character.
Presidents can already make some changes to the White House themselves, though large projects require the permission of Congress. The whole building is already a National Historic Landmark, intended to guard against sudden alterations; the proclamation acknowledges that existing protection but argues the Oval Office merits recognition as a distinct structure of national significance. Congress has carved out an exemption in the National Historic Preservation Act so presidents can carry out needed work. The current Oval Office dates from the early 1930s and was conceived under President Franklin D Roosevelt.
Preservation dispute
Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, a law firm specialising in historic preservation, told BBC News that temporary alterations such as furniture and decor are entirely at the president's discretion, as long as permanent art and architecture are not damaged.
He argues the administration has shown extreme disregard for other historic sites in Washington and has tried through lawsuits to undermine preservation laws. He points to Trump's renovation of the Kennedy Center, a planned triumphal arch in the city and the painting of the granite exterior of the historic executive office building; his firm has filed suits to block two of those projects. Werkheiser called it hypocritical to stress the importance of preserving the Oval Office, which he said is "legally meaningless" because Trump cannot do it, while taking an axe to the law used to protect other sites.
Trump has pursued a large beautification programme in Washington and held three events in the past week to promote the construction, even as his Republican party was defeated by Democrats in the midterm elections. In October he told Time magazine the Oval Office might have to be torn down because of Secret Service security concerns, adding: "My ass, you can't build a new one. This is a special place."
Democrats criticised his redesigns during the campaign; former President Barack Obama said the golden additions had "got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory".
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- What does Trump's Oval Office executive order do?
- It declares the Oval Office, plus some surrounding rooms, a national monument and directs the National Park Service to maintain its historic character. It still allows the president to redecorate and choose furnishings.
- Can a US president change the Oval Office?
- Presidents have discretion over temporary changes such as furniture and decor, as long as permanent art and architecture are not damaged. Large projects at the White House require Congress's permission.
- Why did Trump say the Oval Office might need to be torn down?
- In an October interview with Time magazine, Trump said the Secret Service had security concerns about the office, but he opposed rebuilding, saying it is a special place.
