US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and adjacent Cabinet room as national monuments.
Thursday’s declaration, signed from behind the president’s desk while wearing a red “veto” baseball cap, was President Trump’s first public action since his party’s crushing defeat in Tuesday’s midterm elections that handed control of Congress to Democrats in January.
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“We’re going to make this building a national monument, and we’re not going to allow anyone to touch it, to destroy it or tear it down by stupid people to build something a little different,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during the signing ceremony, adding that the document would make both rooms on the first floor of the West Tower “landmarks of our time.”
The monument also includes the outer presidential office. The move is aimed at preventing major changes to the space, which the president significantly redesigned during his second term in office.
The effort also aims to preserve the space’s “historic character, architectural integrity, and association with the presidential palace,” according to the declaration.
The declaration directs the Secretary of the Interior to manage the monument through the National Park Service and requires that “alternatives be documented, considered, and considered before any action that would substantially alter or destroy the monument.”
This measure does not prevent future presidents from changing the style of the Oval Office. The declaration may be amended or revoked by a successor through new administrative action. It’s a strategy that President Trump himself used to dramatically shrink Utah’s two major national monuments in his first term, and used again in his second term after former President Joe Biden completely restored them.
The proclamation also states that the order does not limit the president’s powers.
The signing, which followed the party’s defeat, was the third event this week to focus on the president’s pet projects.
These efforts include multiple high-profile overhauls, including the demolition of the east wing to make way for the controversial nearly $1 billion White House ballroom atop a high-rise bunker and the proposed 76-meter (250-foot) Arc de Triomphe along the approach to Arlington National Cemetery.
These projects, including the failed renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool that cost more than $14 million, have drawn harsh criticism from opposition lawmakers and many Americans. Polls show many voters are dissatisfied with the Trump administration’s domestic spending choices and broader economic priorities.
Inside President Trump’s multi-million dollar renovation of the White House
Since returning to power in 2025, the real estate mogul-turned-politician has begun numerous construction projects and added personal touches throughout the White House.
Last June, President Trump installed two towering flagpoles on the North and South Lawns, then paved a stone patio on the Rose Garden lawn reminiscent of the luxury Florida resort Mar-a-Lago.
The South Lawn also has a new multi-million dollar granite helicopter pad designed to protect the lawn from damage from the new presidential helicopter.
Inside the White House, the president gave the Oval Office a golden makeover, adorning it with sparkling vases, 24-karat gold decorations on the ceiling, polished wood carvings, and heavy gold frames spread across multiple surfaces.
Last September, President Trump installed a display of presidential portraits called the “Presidential Walk of Honor” in the West Wing colonnade. The exhibit features controversial plates with gold lettering beneath portraits containing partisan criticism of some former presidents, including Barack Obama.
Trump did not elaborate on what exactly he wanted to prevent, but he did hint that the Oval Office could face some future threats.
The president’s administration is facing multiple lawsuits alleging that Washington beautification projects were implemented without necessary approvals.
“If somebody decides to come and tear down the wall, wherever they are, call me and I’ll come back here and I’ll make sure that never happens,” Trump said.
