Trump Designates Oval Office and Cabinet Room National Monument
The proclamation requires congressional approval for major structural changes to the two spaces, a move announced shortly after Republican midterm losses.
By Talia Bennett ·
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday designating the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as a national monument. The executive action aims to prevent future presidents from making major structural alterations to these specific areas of the White House without legislative consent. This move follows two consecutive days of public remarks where the president focused on interior renovations and historical preservation projects.
The proclamation states that any significant modifications to the two rooms must be ratified by Congress. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the spaces would not be "taken down, destroyed, touched or anything else." He expressed confidence that legislators would be "smart enough not to let that happen." The document notes that while the White House has been a U.S. National Historic Landmark since 1960, the Oval Office specifically merits distinct protective management as a historic structure of national significance.
Future presidents will retain the ability to redecorate the spaces and select furnishings under the new rules. They may also make ordinary operational and security modifications, provided these actions do not substantially impair the monument's historic structure or architectural character. This distinction separates minor cosmetic updates from the major structural changes that now require congressional approval.
The signing ceremony took place one day after Trump addressed reporters at the construction site for the new White House ballroom. He cited the White House as the ultimate symbol of America, arguing that it must remain pristine and perfect. The ballroom project has drawn criticism from preservation groups because it involves demolishing the historic East Wing, a fate the new proclamation seeks to avoid for the Oval Office and Cabinet Room.
In his second public appearance since Republicans lost key seats in the midterm elections, Trump emphasized the victories achieved in the Oval Office, though he acknowledged there had been some mistakes. He did not elaborate on the errors. When asked about legislative priorities for the remaining two months of Republican control in Congress, the president highlighted his efforts on the border and the stock market, describing his tenure as a tremendous two years.
The focus on physical changes at the executive mansion extends to recent remarks made on Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The pool has been closed since July due to renovation issues that Trump described as botched. His final campaign message before the elections centered on the pool's reopening and other Washington infrastructure updates, continuing a theme of tangible construction and restoration.
