Oval Office: Trump signs proclamation to preserve interior
The president designated the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as national monuments, requiring congressional ratification to prevent future alterations.
By Justin Brooks ·
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday designating the Oval Office, the outer Oval Office, and the Cabinet Room as a national monument. This move aims to restrict future presidents from making major structural or aesthetic changes to these spaces.
The proclamation states that no major modification to the rooms will occur without the approval of Congress. Trump indicated that the document must be sent to the legislature to be ratified. He described the new status as making the areas "impossible to knock down and change in any meaningful way."
"We've had tremendous victory in this office," Trump said. "So we're making it a national monument, and 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."
The president acknowledged that the interior of the Cabinet Room is "pretty much the same" as before. However, he noted that the space has been "substantially upgraded" with the addition of new chandeliers. Trump added gold accents throughout the West Wing and the Oval Office during his time in office.
A reporter asked if a future leader could remove those gold accents. Trump said it would be possible but advised that it be done "very carefully." He contrasted this with the structural changes he ordered in October 2025, when the East Wing was torn down with little notice or oversight to build the White House ballroom.
Construction on the ballroom has continued since that demolition, drastically altering the White House grounds. On Wednesday, Trump spoke publicly for the first time since the Republican Party's midterm election losses. He invited reporters to the construction site to witness the raising of the final beam.
At that event, Trump addressed criticism regarding his focus on White House projects. "And you know, when I get criticized, like, 'Why are you working on the White House?' I'm doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America, and it's got to be pristine," he said.
