Trump Proclaims Gold-Studded Oval Office a National Monument
"It will not be allowed to be touched by anybody,” Trump said, which is flatly not true, as anyone can reverse the proclamation.
On November 3, President Donald Trump declared the White House's Oval Office, Outer Oval Office, and Cabinet Room a joint national monument. This decision comes as Democrats' midterm victories alarmed Trump, who sought to safeguard his legacy. The proclamation is based on the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allows presidents to designate national monuments and protect archaeological and historical sites on federal lands. However, this law does not empower presidents to reduce, alter, or demolish existing national monuments.
Trump's move to turn the Oval Office into a gold-studded national monument is an aesthetic choice, inspired by Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles and Mar-a-Lago's maximalism. Former President Barack Obama had criticized the transformed Oval Office as resembling "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."
The proclamation is not legally binding, meaning a future president could easily reverse it. Trump has already used the Antiquities Act to slash the boundaries of two national monuments in Southern Utah, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears, which are home to culturally significant Indigenous lands. This decision was reversed by President Joe Biden, who returned the protected areas to their original sizes in July 2021.
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