Trump Seeks to Protect Oval Office Renovations Through National Monument Proclamation

US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation aimed at protecting the Oval Office and Cabinet Room from major future alterations, saying the two rooms should be preserved as national monuments and that significant changes should require congressional approval.

Trump signed the document on Thursday, his first official action since Republicans suffered heavy losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections. A red baseball cap bearing the word “VETO” sat on the Resolute Desk as he signed the proclamation, drawing attention to the changing balance of political power in Washington.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said the measure was intended to prevent future presidents from removing or substantially changing the rooms.

“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 said. “We like the Oval Office, and it’s a symbol, like the White House itself.”

However, the legal effect of the proclamation remains uncertain. Presidential proclamations can be reversed by subsequent administrations, as Trump himself has previously done with national monument designations. The document’s ability to prevent future presidents from changing the rooms is therefore unclear.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has overseen extensive decorative changes, particularly in the Oval Office. The room now features additional portraits, a copy of the Declaration of Independence and numerous gold-coloured decorative elements.

The president did not specify which future changes he believed needed to be prevented. He suggested that a future administration could consider removing walls or altering the room’s layout.

“If anybody ever decides to come and start knocking down walls, you call me wherever I may be,” Trump said. “And I’ll come back here and I’ll make sure it never happens.”

The announcement marked the third consecutive day this week that Trump had focused public remarks on renovation and construction projects in Washington.

On Wednesday, he attended an event marking the installation of the final beam in the White House ballroom project, signing the structural steel before reporters. On Monday, he visited the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to discuss renovation work at the landmark.

Trump’s projects have faced legal challenges, with several lawsuits questioning whether the necessary approvals were obtained before work began.

His latest preservation effort comes as Democrats prepare to increase scrutiny of the administration following their midterm gains. On Thursday, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, the senior Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent letters to donors known to have contributed to the ballroom project.

Blumenthal demanded information about their donations and warned that alternative measures could be used to obtain compliance if they failed to respond.