Trump says the two rooms will become a national monument
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday that he said will prevent future changes to the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as he has redesigned them.
“We’re making it a national monument and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The signing came two days after voters threw dozens of Republicans out of office and delivered control of Congress to Democrats. The Associated Press described those voters as dissatisfied with Trump’s economic policies.
The proclamation signing was also the third day this week that Trump, a real estate mogul, delivered remarks the AP characterized as fixated on his pet projects in Washington, D.C. Those projects, as the AP described them, include an opulent ballroom and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has overseen numerous design changes to various rooms, including the Oval Office, where he has filled the wall space with portraits, a copy of the Declaration of Independence and numerous golden accents.
By Trump’s account, the proclamation makes those changes lasting: the two rooms will stand as a national monument that will “not be allowed to be touched by anybody.”