Presidential proclamation requires reviews for work in three White House spaces
The measure covers the Oval Office, the outer office and the Cabinet Room, while allowing decorative changes that do not damage their historic architecture.
Donald Trump ordered on November 5 that the Oval Office, the Outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room receive national monument designation. The proclamation presents the measure as protection for the historical value of spaces associated with the U.S. presidency.
The document relies on the Antiquities Act of 1906. Interventions capable of substantially altering the architecture must be documented and reviewed, and alternatives must be studied before work of that scale is undertaken. The rule does not establish a general prohibition on modifying the rooms.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum must develop a management and preservation plan with participation from the committee responsible for preserving the White House and the relevant agencies. The proclamation permits furniture, decoration, operational and security elements to be renewed as long as the work does not substantially harm the historic structure or architectural character. It also does not require preserving every decorative object Trump added.
The decision became public after Barack Obama criticized the office's new appearance. At an October 24 event in Cleveland, Ohio, the former president joked about the decoration and compared the presidential residence with a Cheesecake Factory restaurant. He then mocked the reaction from Trump officials, describing it as a disproportionate government response to a joke.
Items added by Trump include silver figures with a gold finish, rococo-style mirrors and cherubs brought from Mar-a-Lago. He also added golden eagles on side tables and ornamental pieces beside the fireplace. The controversy over those changes accompanies the preservation announcement, although the designation does not make every object a permanent part of the rooms.
The signing came two days after the November 3, 2026 congressional elections, in which Democrats regained control of the Senate and House of Representatives. Trump had said he would send the document to Congress for ratification, but that condition does not appear in the proclamation. The initiative was also the third that week related to construction or renovation projects in Washington.