Trump Declares Oval Office and Cabinet Room National Monuments in First Act After Midterms
The proclamation puts the Interior secretary in charge and requires review before any major alteration, but it still lets future presidents redecorate.
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday designating the Oval Office, the Outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as a national monument, saying the step would protect the rooms from major changes by future administrations. It was his first official action after Democrats won control of Congress in the midterm elections.
The White House proclamation names the Oval Office as Room 110, the Outer Oval Office as Rooms 106 and 108, and the Cabinet Room as Room 105. The Interior secretary will manage the monument. Before any action that would substantially alter or demolish the rooms, officials must complete documentation, a review and a consideration of alternatives.
The order stops well short of freezing the rooms in place. It does not restrict redecorating, choosing furnishings, or making routine operational and security changes that do not substantially impair the rooms' historic structure or character. Trump said any major change would require review by Congress, though the proclamation itself does not say so. A proclamation can also be revised or revoked by a later president.
"We like the Oval Office, and it's a symbol, like the White House itself," Trump said. He added that if officials wanted to change the shape of the room they would have to go back to Congress, and that he hoped lawmakers would block it.
The White House livestreamed the announcement, but the regular television press pool was excluded. CNN said it was barred from the event.
Trump noted that he demolished the White House East Wing to make room for his ballroom, a project that has drawn criticism from preservation groups. The proclamation followed a week of events centered on his building agenda, including remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and at the ballroom construction site.
The same day, a federal planning commission approved a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, and a judge temporarily blocked construction less than an hour later. With Democrats set to take over House committees in January, several of Trump's Washington projects could face oversight hearings. The new monument status gives the administration a legal argument that future changes to the two rooms need a documented review, though the ABC report did not identify the specific legal authority Trump relied on.
Other coverage said the proclamation was issued under the Antiquities Act, the 1906 law presidents have used to protect land and historic sites. Commentators noted the oddity of using it on rooms in a building the president himself occupies, and pointed out that Trump has used the same law in the opposite direction elsewhere, shrinking protected land in Utah. A later president could undo the designation with a new proclamation, which is why critics describe it as a symbolic gesture. Supporters say it creates a formal process that makes sudden renovations harder.
