What the Order Does
"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 told reporters on Thursday. The order declares the Oval Office, along with some surrounding rooms, a national monument. It tells the National Park Service to maintain the space in a way that protects its historic character, architectural integrity and link to the presidency.
The document also says it doesn't restrict the president's authority to redecorate, pick furnishings or make ordinary operational and security changes that don't substantially harm the monument's historic structure or architectural character. It notes the existing protections on the White House but says the Oval Office still deserves specific recognition as a discrete historic structure of national significance.
Trump said the order would "make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space." He called the Oval Office a symbol of the country's greatness, said visiting world leaders have praised his decorative changes, and described the building as "badly damaged" before his work, with broken windows, cracked walls and broken stone. Many of the visible changes, though, were cosmetic, including a large gold plaque reading "Oval Office" outside the room, paving over the Rose Garden and adding a new helicopter pad.
The order comes months after Trump tore down the entire White House East Wing, a project that has faced legal challenges. Congress approved it, and construction continues, with plans to turn the space into a new ballroom.
How Much Does It Really Change?
The whole building is already a National Historic Landmark, which is meant to guard against sudden changes. Presidents can make some changes to the White House, though large projects need Congress's permission. As president, Trump has the power to create national monuments, which are similar to national parks. Congress has also carved out an exemption to the National Historic Preservation Act so presidents can make needed changes. The current Oval Office dates to the early 1930s, after Franklin D Roosevelt conceived it.
Greg Werkheiser of the law firm Cultural Heritage Partners, which specialises in historic preservation, says temporary changes like "furniture and decor is completely up to the president's discretion." As long as they don't damage the permanent art and architecture, he said, presidents can generally do whatever they want.
Critics Call It Hypocrisy
Werkheiser argues the Trump administration has shown disregard for other historic sites in Washington and has tried, through lawsuits, to undermine laws that require preservation. He called the order "hypocrisy," pointing to projects such as renovating the Kennedy Center and plans for a new triumphal arch. "On the one hand he's talking about the importance of preserving the Oval Office, which is legally meaningless because he can't do it, and on the other hand he is absolutely taking an axe to the law that allows us to preserve other historic sites," he said.
Trump has pushed a massive beautification project in Washington and held three events in the past week to show off the construction, even as his party was trounced by Democrats in the midterm elections. In October, he suggested in an interview that the Oval Office might need to be torn down over Secret Service security concerns, then pushed back: "My ass, you can't build a new one. This is a special place." During the campaign, Democrats criticised his redesigns, with former President Barack Obama saying the golden tweaks have "got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."
