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President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday designating the Oval Office and the adjacent Cabinet Room as national monuments. Trump said the move would require Congressional approval before any future administration could make major changes to either room. During his second term, he redecorated both spaces in an extravagant gilded style inspired by Louis XIV.
Renovations Follow Republican Midterm Losses
The announcement came shortly after midterm elections in which Republicans suffered historic defeats. Trump appeared to shift his focus toward the numerous renovation projects he has launched at the White House and across Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, in his first public appearance after the Republican losses, Trump led reporters on a tour of an ongoing ballroom construction site.
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White House renovation projects have included a new granite helipad on the South Lawn. Most notably, workers demolished the building’s East Wing to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom with an estimated cost of $600 million.
Broader Washington Projects Face Legal Challenges
Beyond the White House, Trump has pursued several large-scale projects around the capital. A $14 million repair of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is currently underway. He also began redeveloping a popular public golf course, cutting down hundreds of trees in the process.
Trump also proposed a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery. Concerned that incoming Democrats might block the project, he sought fast-tracked approval. His hand-picked planning commission granted that approval on Wednesday. However, that same evening, Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered a 14-day halt to construction.
Questions Remain Over Monument Designation
Legal experts and observers have questioned how the national monument designation would actually prevent a future president from changing the Oval Office. The White House already holds National Historic Landmark status. That designation did not stop Trump from approving the demolition of the East Wing for his ballroom project.
Nevertheless, Trump expressed confidence in the proclamation’s legal strength. Speaking from the now gold-covered Oval Office, he told reporters, “When completed, and when we get the documentation fully done, legally binding, it’ll make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space.” Whether the designation carries enforceable weight remains an open legal question.
