President Trump signed a proclamation Thursday declaring the Oval Office and Roosevelt Cabinet Room national landmarks.
The move, announced from Washington, locks in the historic West Wing spaces as “landmarks for the ages” and bars any structural changes without congressional approval. Trump, 78, has spent three consecutive days promoting his renovation agenda, following a Tuesday speech at the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and a Wednesday tour of a new ballroom.
“There’s no major modification without the approval of Congress. So if they want to say let’s not have the Oval anymore, let’s make it square, what happens is they have to go back to Congress,” Trump explained during the signing. The president has repeatedly voiced concern that future administrations might alter the distinctive elliptical shape of the office.
The proclamation specifically protects the Oval Office and the Roosevelt Cabinet Room, the main meeting room in the West Wing, from demolition or significant alteration. “It’s a federal landmark. And when completed, and when we get the documentation fully done, legally binding, it’ll make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space,” Trump said.
However, the designation does not prevent cosmetic changes. A successor could still strip away the gold trim and numerous paintings Trump has added throughout the space. “They can do anything they want, as long as they do it carefully,” he said when asked about the possibility.
Trump’s preoccupation with preserving the rooms stems from a claim last month that the Secret Service had proposed tearing down the Oval Office entirely and constructing a more secure replacement. “My a–, you can’t build a new one,” he said, recounting his response to the alleged suggestion.
With Thursday’s order, the two rooms “won’t be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched, or anything else,” Trump stated. The proclamation represents his most forceful effort to permanently enshrine the physical changes he has made to the White House since taking office.
The president has pursued an extensive remodeling agenda across Washington, making alterations to the Kennedy Center, a public golf course, and multiple local parks. The Oval Office designation marks the culmination of this broader effort to reshape the capital’s landmarks.
The three-day publicity push surrounding the proclamation underscores Trump’s personal investment in how his White House tenure will be physically remembered. Tuesday’s Lincoln Reflecting Pool speech and Wednesday’s ballroom tour both previewed the announcement.
The Roosevelt Cabinet Room, where senior staff and cabinet secretaries convene, receives equal protection under the order. Both spaces now carry federal landmark status that would require legislative action to undo.