United States President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation designating the White House Oval Office and Cabinet Room as national monuments in a move aimed at limiting major alterations by future administrations.
Trump signed the proclamation on Thursday, saying the measure would protect the rooms from being demolished or substantially redesigned by his successors.
Speaking during a ceremony at the White House, the president said he wanted to preserve the changes he had made to the Oval Office, which now features several gold decorations, portraits and other ornamental additions.
“We’re making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people, in order to build something in a slightly different shape,” Trump said.
He added that the measure was intended to prevent a future president from changing the traditional design of the Oval Office.
Trump’s decision comes after he made extensive changes to the office during his second term, including adding gold accents, decorative features and framed portraits.
The proclamation also directs the Interior Secretary to ensure the preservation of the rooms’ historic character and architectural features.
However, the order does not completely prevent future presidents from making changes. It allows routine redecorations, furniture selection and ordinary operational or security modifications, provided they do not substantially affect the rooms’ historic structure or character.
It also requires documentation and review before major alterations or demolition.
Trump said the proclamation would be sent to Congress for ratification, although the document itself does not expressly require congressional approval for future changes.
The move comes amid criticism of Trump’s renovation projects at the White House, particularly the demolition of the East Wing to make way for a proposed ballroom.
Former President Barack Obama recently criticised the extensive gold decorations introduced by Trump, joking that the White House looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
