President Trump declares Oval Office and Cabinet Room a national monument

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument to protect his design choices from future alterations.

The president described the move as a way to ensure his aesthetic choices are not "ripped down by stupid people" or changed by those wanting to build something in a "slightly different shape." Trump, who has filled the office with gold flourishes, told reporters that the space is a symbol of the country's greatness and claimed that visiting world leaders have complimented his changes. According to the BBC, these renovations include a large gold plaque outside the office, a new helicopter pad, and the paving over of the Rose Garden.

The proclamation's text contains specific limitations that may conflict with the president's verbal claims. CBS News and NBC News reported that the document does not actually restrict a successor's authority to redecorate, select new furnishings, or make security modifications, as long as they do not impair the historic structure. While Trump asserted that any major modifications would now require approval from Congress, CBS News noted that this requirement is not found in the actual text of the document.

The legal durability of the designation remains uncertain. The BBC and CBS News pointed out that Trump himself has previously scaled back or reversed national monument designations made by his predecessors. The White House has been a National Historic Landmark since 1960, but Trump argued in the proclamation that the Oval Office specifically requires protective management as a discrete structure of national significance.

The signing followed a week where the president focused on various construction projects following Republican losses in the midterm elections. On his desk during the ceremony sat a red baseball cap with the word "VETO" on it, which outlets interpreted as a signal to the incoming Congress. This action follows other projects including the demolition of the White House East Wing to make room for a new ballroom, a move The Guardian noted has faced legal challenges.

Background

Since returning to office, President Trump has initiated several White House projects he describes as repairs for cracked walls and damaged stonework. These efforts include the construction of an opulent ballroom and a permanent granite helipad on the South Lawn, though preservation groups have criticized the demolition of historic structures like the East Wing.