President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday, November 5, 2026, designating the Oval Office and the adjacent Cabinet Room as national monuments to prevent future administrations from fundamentally altering the spaces.
The move follows a series of intensive White House renovations undertaken since Trump returned to office in January 2025. By declaring the rooms on the first floor of the West Wing as national monuments, the president seeks to establish the areas as a landmark for the ages, according to Al Jazeera.
SIGNED: Designating the Oval Office as a National Monument, protecting the historic office for good. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/x10uKg1AUe
Protections and limitations of the proclamation
While the designation aims to safeguard the historic character, architectural integrity, and association with the Presidency,
the proclamation contains specific caveats regarding executive authority. According to CBS News, the text makes it clear that the order does not restrict the President’s authority to redecorate the monument, select furnishings, or perform routine security and operational changes that do not significantly damage the architectural character or historic structure.
Trump is declaring the Oval Office a national monument 🙄 pic.twitter.com/d6zkhlTiCd
Trump issues proclamation declaring Oval Office national monument
The proclamation requires the Interior secretary to manage the monument through the National Park Service. This management must include documentation, review, and consideration of alternatives before any action is taken that would substantially alter or demolish the monument, CBS News noted.
Trump defended the decision during the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, expressing concern that the space could be compromised by future occupants.
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.
Mr. Trump, as reported by Al Jazeera
He also addressed the possibility of future structural changes, suggesting that if a successor wanted to change the room’s shape, they would need to involve the legislature.
If they want to say, ‘Let’s not have oval anymore, let’s make it square,’ what happens is they have to go back to Congress and hopefully the Congress, the people in Congress, will be smart enough not to let that happen.
Mr. Trump, as reported by The Independent
During the event, the president noted the history of the space, mentioning that the Oval Office was constructed in 1909 by President William Howard Taft and was later modified in 1934 for Franklin Delano Roosevelt to include a ramping system. Trump also stated that the document would be sent to Congress for ratification, though the White House’s published text of the proclamation does not include a mandate for congressional approval.
Renovations and political tension
Trump signs proclamation to try to prevent changes to
Since returning to office, Trump has overseen various “beautification” and construction projects throughout the White House grounds. These include the demolition of the East Wing to facilitate a $600m ballroom, and the building of a permanent granite helipad on the South Lawn, The Guardian reported. On Monday, the final day of the midterm campaign, the president also gave a speech regarding the conclusion of the problem-plagued renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump declares Oval Office, Cabinet Room a national monument https://t.co/uHbubsmsKT
The decor includes gold wall appliqués and portraits featuring gold lettering and partisan criticisms of former presidents like Barack Obama. Barack Obama recently remarked that the decor made the White House look as if Saddam Hussein had opened a Cheesecake Factory,
The Guardian reported.
Democratic leaders respond to Trump's monument and ballroom activities
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas cited a Kansas poll indicating that voters' top concerns included Trump’s focus on monuments.
Congressional and legal scrutiny
Democratic leaders have responded to the administration’s recent activities. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent letters to known donors of the White House ballroom, demanding information or facing alternative measures to obtain compliance,
CBS News reported.
TRUMP: OVAL OFFICE AND CABINET ROOM TO BECOME NATIONAL LANDMARKS@POTUS says both the Oval Office and Cabinet Room are being designated as federal monuments and national landmarks to protect them from major changes in the future. “That will make it, in theory, impossible to… pic.twitter.com/7YCvICvRHK
The president’s administration has also faced several lawsuits alleging that his Washington beautification projects were carried out without the necessary approval. A federal judge is currently weighing whether to temporarily block construction of the arch. The project faced nearly 9 hours of public comments from members of Congress, veterans, architects and Washington, D.C., and Virginia residents before being greenlighted by allies in an 8-4 vote.
The proclamation’s long-term stability remains a subject of debate, as a successor could simply reverse Trump’s executive order protecting the Oval Office with the flick of a pen. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear stated he would remove the gold from the Oval Office if he were to ever become president, suggesting the proclamation signed by Trump could face political and legal challenges in the future.
More on Cabinet Room
TRUMP: NO “STUPID PEOPLE” WILL EVER TEAR DOWN THE OVAL OFFICE@POTUS says he is moving to permanently protect the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as historic federal landmarks. “It won't be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched, or anything else.” Trump says the Oval Office… pic.twitter.com/2YF8Y2Msas
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump just EMERGED in the Oval Office with a red "VETO" hat on the Resolute Desk to sign a document ensuring the Oval Office and Cabinet room are a LANDMARK that can't be demolished by future presidents Good. This is American history. Upgrade it, NEVER… pic.twitter.com/3K3a9wubay