Trump Seeks to Lock In White House Room Designs
Trump said the proclamation would keep future administrations from altering the two White House rooms, which he has redesigned. He signed it in the Oval Office and told reporters it would be protected as a national monument.
The move followed midterm elections in which Democrats won control of Congress, after voters dissatisfied with Trump’s economic policies removed dozens of Republicans from office. Trump’s remarks about White House projects came for a third consecutive day.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has changed the design of several rooms. In the Oval Office, he has added portraits, a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence and gold-colored decorations. He has also promoted plans for a ballroom and work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump Moves to Freeze His White House Makeover
After voters dissatisfied with his economic policies handed Democrats control of Congress, Trump used a proclamation to try to preserve the White House rooms as he has redesigned them. He said the Oval Office and Cabinet Room would become a national monument and could not be touched by future occupants.
The announcement came during three days of remarks focused on Trump’s Washington projects, among them a lavish ballroom and improvements to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. His Oval Office design includes portraits, a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence and gold-colored accents.
The timing underscores the contrast between voters’ economic concerns and a president devoting public attention to his own architectural projects. The proclamation is Trump’s stated effort to prevent future changes to the spaces; the reports provide no further details about its effect.
Trump Seeks to Preserve White House Rooms He Redesigned
Trump is seeking to preserve the White House rooms he has redesigned, signing a proclamation he said would bar later alterations to the Oval Office and Cabinet Room. He told reporters the rooms would be made a national monument and would not be altered by others.
The Oval Office now features portraits, a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence and gold-colored accents. Trump’s remarks about projects in Washington have also included a planned ballroom and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The proclamation puts the focus on safeguarding the president’s changes to the rooms, rather than leaving their appearance open to future redesigns. It came after Democrats won control of Congress in elections in which voters dissatisfied with Trump’s economic policies removed dozens of Republicans from office.
Reported by KPRC 2 Click2Houston, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsweek, PBS NewsHour.
