Trump signs proclamation to shield Oval Office design from future changes

US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation at the White House in Washington on Thursday designating the Oval Office and the neighbouring Cabinet Room as national monuments. He says the move will prevent future administrations from changing the way he has redesigned the rooms.

Sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the gold-covered Oval Office, Trump told reporters the rooms should be preserved "for the ages". He said he did not want anyone to tear them down or rebuild them in a slightly different shape. The president added that people sometimes suggest installing better glass or similar changes, and that he rejects such ideas. If anyone started knocking down walls, he said, he would come back and make sure it did not happen.

Other renovation projects

Since returning to office, Trump has launched several White House "beautification" projects. The best known are the demolition of the East Wing to make way for a $600m ballroom and the construction of a permanent granite helipad on the South Lawn. He also defended the wider renovation work, saying the building's exterior had deteriorated over years, with cracked windows, damaged stonework and broken decorative features.

Political backdrop

The proclamation came days after midterm elections in which Trump's Republican Party suffered heavy losses. Democrats won control of Congress and made gains in several traditionally Republican states, including Texas, Kansas, South Carolina and Iowa, campaigning on affordability and tackling corruption. A red baseball cap reading "Veto" sat on the desk, a reminder of Trump's threat to block legislation passed next year by the new Democratic-controlled Congress.

Trump's gilded redesign has also drawn criticism from former president Barack Obama, who joked that the White House looks like a Cheesecake Factory restaurant with gold everywhere.