Trump Signs Proclamation Declaring the Oval Office a National Monument
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday giving the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room national monument status, a move he says will block future presidents from altering the rooms, VG reported.
The proclamation, which Trump said will be sent to Congress for approval, declares that no one may “touch it, destroy it or tear it down — by stupid people — to build something in a slightly different form,” according to AP. Trump called the Oval Office a symbol on par with the White House itself.
Trump Installs Mar-A-Lago Decor in Oval Office
Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has remade the Oval Office with gold figurines, gilded mirrors, gold eagles and small gold cherubs from Mar-a-Lago, CNN has reported. “I just meant that it was very important that no one should come in, take it down and try to do something else with it,” Trump said, according to AP.
The document itself does not stop future presidents from redecorating the rooms or revoking the protection, AP noted. It states that the president can still choose furniture, redecorate and make routine security and operational changes, as long as the rooms’ historic structure and architectural character are not significantly weakened.
Ballroom Construction and a “VETO” Cap
The signing came two days after Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections, with a red cap reading “VETO” lying on the desk, according to The Guardian. It was the third day in a row that Trump turned his attention to building and renovation projects in Washington, having visited the renovated Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial and the construction site of the new ballroom at the White House. Trump has had the East Wing demolished to make room for the ballroom.
TRUMP: OVAL OFFICE AND CABINET ROOM TO BECOME NATIONAL LANDMARKS@POTUS says both the Oval Office and Cabinet Room are being designated as federal monuments and national landmarks to protect them from major changes in the future. “That will make it, in theory, impossible to… pic.twitter.com/7YCvICvRHK”
“If anyone ever decides to come and start knocking down walls, call me, no matter where I have to be,” Trump said, according to AP. “Then I’ll come back here and make sure it never happens.”
More on Oval Office
JUST IN: President Trump signs order to make the White House Oval Office and Cabinet Room a national monument to prevent any changes to those rooms from the way he redesigned them once he leaves office: "We're making it a national monument and it will not be allowed to be touched…”
🇺🇸 BREAKING: President Trump Moves to Protect the Historic Oval Office and Cabinet Room! President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on November 5, 2026, to protect the Oval Office and Cabinet Room from future alterations or demolition. During the signing, a red hat marked… pic.twitter.com/8J318Gvywc
TRUMP: NO “STUPID PEOPLE” WILL EVER TEAR DOWN THE OVAL OFFICE@POTUS says he is moving to permanently protect the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as historic federal landmarks. “It won't be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched, or anything else.” Trump says the Oval Office… pic.twitter.com/2YF8Y2Msas
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump just EMERGED in the Oval Office with a red "VETO" hat on the Resolute Desk to sign a document ensuring the Oval Office and Cabinet room are a LANDMARK that can't be demolished by future presidents Good. This is American history. Upgrade it, NEVER… pic.twitter.com/3K3a9wubay
Related reading