Trump signs order blocking future presidents from altering the Oval Office

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that designates the Oval Office and some adjacent rooms as a national monument, with the intention of stopping future presidents from making major alterations to the historic space. The order clarifies that it does not limit the president’s ability to redecorate, choose furnishings, or carry out routine operational and security changes that do not substantially affect the monument’s historic structure or architectural character. Presidents can normally modify the White House, but larger projects still need congressional approval.

During his second term, Trump dramatically changed the appearance of the Oval Office, adding numerous gold features, a large gold plaque reading “Oval Office” outside the room, paving over the Rose Garden and installing a new helicopter pad. He also demolished the entire White House East Wing, a project that received congressional approval and is being rebuilt as a new ballroom. Many of the visible changes are cosmetic, while he argues the building required repairs, describing broken windows, cracked walls and broken stone.

Trump told reporters on Thursday, “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.” He added, “We like the Oval Office, and it’s a symbol, like the White House itself. It’s a symbol of our country and the greatness of our country,” noting that recent world leaders had praised his decorative work. The president said the order would “make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space”.