White House Designation: Oval Office and Cabinet Room Named National Monument
President Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday requiring congressional approval for major structural changes to the two rooms, a move made shortly after Republicans lost the House in midterm elections.
By Ivan Mori ·
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday declaring the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room a national monument. The document requires Congress to approve any major modifications to the spaces. This action aims to prevent future administrations from significantly altering the rooms without legislative consent.
The signing occurred one day after Republicans lost the House in the midterm elections. Trump addressed reporters in the Oval Office regarding the new status of the room. He stated, “We’re going to be declaring it a national monument, and we’re going to send it over to Congress to have it ratified.” He added that the space “won’t be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched or anything else.”
Trump explained that any “major modifications” would require a vote in Congress. He expressed hope that lawmakers would be “smart enough not to let that happen.” The White House has been a U.S. National Historic Landmark since 1960. The new proclamation argues that the Oval Office deserves specific recognition as a “discrete historic structure of national significance.”
The move follows a week of focus on White House construction. On Wednesday, Trump spoke to the media at the site of a new ballroom under construction. That project involves demolishing the East Wing, a change that has drawn criticism from preservation groups. In contrast, the Oval Office typically sees only cosmetic updates during new administrations. When Trump returned to office last year, he redecorated the room with extensive gold fixtures.
The proclamation allows future presidents to redecorate and select furnishings. It also permits ordinary operational and security changes, provided they do not “substantially impair the monument’s historic structure or architectural character.” During his remarks, Trump highlighted his “victories” in the room while acknowledging that “there’s been some mistakes, too.”
Asked about congressional priorities during the final two months of Republican control, Trump cited his work on the border and the stock market. He described the past two years as “tremendous.” His final campaign speech on Monday also centered on renovation projects. He held that address at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which reopened after a closure due to renovation issues.
