US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation aimed at protecting the Oval Office and Cabinet Room from major structural alterations by future administrations. Trump described the move as an effort to preserve two of the White House’s most recognisable spaces as a national monument. However, the proclamation does not actually prevent his successors from changing the interiors or reversing the order itself.
The signing marked Trump’s first official action following the Republican Party’s setbacks in the 2026 midterm elections. While presenting the proclamation, the president insisted that the iconic rooms should not be subjected to demolition or major redesigns by future occupants of the White House.
“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. We like the Oval Office, and it’s a symbol, like the White House itself,” Trump said.
The proclamation was released after Trump’s remarks and directs the Interior Secretary to oversee the preservation of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room. It also calls for proper documentation, review and consideration of alternative proposals before any action that could substantially alter or demolish their historic structures.
Can future presidents change the Oval Office despite Trump’s order?
Despite Trump’s strong claims about protecting the rooms, the proclamation does not establish an absolute restriction on future presidents making changes to the White House interiors. In fact, its provisions specifically preserve the president’s authority to make several modifications.
According to the document, nothing in the proclamation will “restrict the President’s authority to redecorate the monument, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications that do not substantially impair the monument’s historic structure or architectural character.”
This means future presidents would retain considerable freedom to change the decor, furniture and other elements of the rooms, provided such changes do not substantially damage their historic structure or architectural character.
Moreover, the proclamation itself can be reversed by a subsequent president. Trump has previously rolled back national monument designations introduced by his predecessors, highlighting the limitations of the preservation measure he has now signed. However, Trump suggested that any major structural redesign would require congressional approval, although the proclamation does not explicitly establish such a requirement.
“If they want to say, Let’s not have oval anymore, let’s make it square,’ what happens is they have to go back to Congress and hopefully the Congress, the people in Congress, will be smart enough not to let that happen,” Trump said.
Trump’s White House makeover and focus on grand projects
The proclamation comes amid Trump’s extensive efforts to transform the appearance of the White House. Since returning to office, the president has introduced several decorative changes across different rooms, with the Oval Office receiving particularly prominent attention.
The President has added gold-coloured decorative features, gold-framed portraits and other embellishments to the traditionally understated presidential workspace. The walls now also feature multiple portraits and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
During Thursday’s remarks, Trump also drew attention to new chandeliers installed in the Cabinet Room. He said the additions were intended to address what he described as “very bad lighting” in the room.ย The latest announcement was also the third time this week that Trump publicly focused on his White House renovation and beautification projects.
On Wednesday, a day after Republicans suffered defeats in several important electoral contests, Trump invited reporters to witness the signing of the final structural beam being installed as part of his ambitious ballroom construction project. Earlier, on Monday, he visited the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to discuss renovation work undertaken at the landmark.
Trump did not provide specific details about the future alterations he wanted to prevent through the proclamation. However, he suggested that a future administration could potentially attempt to make significant structural changes to the presidential office.ย “If anybody ever decides to come and start knocking down walls, you call me wherever I may be and I’ll come back here and I’ll make sure it never happens,” Trump said.
Trump faces scrutiny over ballroom project as Democrats step up pressure
The latest preservation announcement comes at a politically sensitive moment for Trump, with Democrats preparing to intensify scrutiny of his administration’s decisions and spending.ย On Thursday, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent letters to several known donors to Trump’s proposed White House ballroom.
Blumenthal sought information from the donors and warned that failure to cooperate could lead to “alternative measures to obtain compliance.”ย The scrutiny adds another dimension to the controversy surrounding Trump’s extensive renovation plans in Washington. Several of his beautification projects have already faced legal challenges alleging that the work was undertaken without obtaining the necessary approvals.
(With inputs from AP)
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