Trump Declares Oval Office a National Monument to Lock In His Changes

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday that designates the Oval Office, the outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as a national monument — a move he says will make them "impossible to knock down and change in any meaningful way." The signing came days after Republicans lost the midterm elections, according to abcnews.com. Trump framed the rooms as untouchable, declaring they won't be destroyed or "ripped down by stupid people" to build something in a slightly different shape.

Under the proclamation, no major modification to either room can happen "without the approval of Congress." Trump acknowledged the paperwork still has to go to Capitol Hill, saying he plans to send it over to be ratified. Whether lawmakers go along with that is a separate question the president didn't address.

Trump has already left a deep fingerprint on the West Wing. He pointed to the Cabinet Room's new chandeliers and described the space as "substantially upgraded," even while insisting its interior looks pretty much the same as it always did. Asked whether a future president could strip out the gold accents he's hung in the Oval Office, Trump allowed that it's possible — but only "very carefully."

The monument push lands against a backdrop of heavy construction. In October 2025, Trump tore down the East Wing with little notice or oversight to clear space for a White House ballroom, and the grounds have been changing ever since, per abcnews.com. On Wednesday he brought reporters to the site for the raising of the final beam.

That appearance was his first public remarks since the GOP's midterm losses, and he used it to defend his focus on the building itself. Trump said he keeps working on the White House because it is "the ultimate symbol of America, and it's got to be pristine." He also insisted the office has been good to him, calling it a place of tremendous victory.