Trump tries to stop anyone from changing his Oval Office by declaring it a landmark - The Independent

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.

President Donald Trump has taken steps to prevent future presidents from altering the Oval Office, which he has meticulously refurbished with countless golden adornments.

During a ceremony Thursday afternoon — two days after Republicans suffered crushing midterm losses — Trump declared both the Oval Office and the White House Cabinet Room national monuments.

“We’re going to send it over to Congress to have it ratified,” the president said, referring to a document placed on the Resolute Desk. “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.”

For instance, he suggested a future White House occupant could decide: “Let's not have an oval anymore, let’s make it square.”

During his second term, the 80-year-old president has transformed the Oval Office, perhaps more extensively than any other modern president. He has filled the room with gold accents, including appliqués, cherubs and urns, and lined the walls with framed portraits. Outside the entrance, he has added a sign in gold cursive lettering that reads “The Oval Office.”

The executive office — built in 1909 during William Howard Taft’s presidency — is a microcosm of Trump’s broader transformation of the White House and the nation’s capital. In the past two years, he’s knocked down the East Wing to make room for a gargantuan ballroom, installed a helipad on the lawn and made plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch on the Potomac, among other changes.