Trump Signs Proclamation Designating Oval Office and Cabinet Room as National Monument
The move requires Congressional ratification and aims to restrict future structural changes to the historic rooms.
By Grace Anderson ·
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday designating the Oval Office, the outer Oval Office, and the Cabinet Room as a national monument. The action comes days after the Republican Party suffered losses in the midterm elections.
The designation is intended to limit the ability of future presidents to alter the physical structure of these spaces. Trump stated that the new status will make the rooms "impossible to knock down and change in any meaningful way." He specifically cited the risk of previous leaders destroying or reshaping the office without cause.
"We've had tremendous victory in this office," Trump said during the announcement. "So 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."
The proclamation includes a condition that no major modifications to the Oval Office or Cabinet Room can occur without the approval of Congress. Trump indicated that the document must be sent to lawmakers for ratification to finalize the protections.
"So we're going to be declaring it a national monument, and we're going to send it over to Congress, have it ratified," the president explained.
Trump noted that while the Cabinet Room interior is "pretty much the same" as before, he has "substantially upgraded" the space. He added new chandeliers to the room, which serves as the primary meeting area for the president and top advisers. When asked if a future leader could remove the gold accents he installed, Trump said they could do so, but "very carefully."
The declaration follows the completion of major construction on the White House grounds. In October 2025, Trump ordered the demolition of the East Wing to build a new ballroom. On Wednesday, he hosted reporters at the construction site for the raising of the final beam. Trump defended the focus on the White House projects by calling the building the ultimate symbol of America that must be kept pristine.
