Trump declares Oval Office a national monument to preserve his changes - USA Today
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room a national monument, continuing his focus on White House beautification efforts following Republicans' midterm disaster.
Trump said the proclamation will prevent significant overhauls or destruction of the two iconic White House rooms, both of which have undergone major cosmetic changes by Trump during his second term. The restrictions include keeping the Oval Office shaped like an oval.
"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," Trump said. "We like the Oval Office, and it's a symbol, like the White House itself.
Trump has dramatically overhauled the appearance of the Oval Office in his second term with dramatic gold-colored picture frames, embroidery, chandeliers and furniture. He's also made cosmetic changes to the adjacent Cabinet Room, where presidents historically hold meetings with their secretaries.
"I just thought it was very important that nobody be allowed to come in and take it down and try and do something with it," Trump said, referring to the Oval Office. "Every once in a while, they'll look and they'll say, 'Oh, maybe what we'll do is we'll put some glass up that's a little bit better or something.'"
The text of the proclamation was not immediately available, and the degree of changes to the two rooms allowed under the designation was not clear.
Trump said making the Oval Office a landmark will "in theory, make it impossible to knockdown/change, in any meaningful way." He said "major modifications" would need approval from Congress.
Trump's proclamation, which he signed in the Oval Office in front of reporters, comes two days after Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and Senate in a midterm election that delivered a major repudiation of Trump and his agenda.
Trump's first post-election appearance Nov. 4 was to host a ceremony recognizing the final beam lifted for his new ballroom on the east wing of the White House. On the eve of the midterm election, Trump held his closing-argument speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where he touted his efforts to remove algae from the historic pool.
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