US President Donald Trump has signed an order declaring the Oval Office a national monument, a step he said would stop future presidents from changing or tearing down the historic space.
Trump signed the order on Thursday, continuing to focus on White House renovations even after his Republican Party suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections.
Critics have charged the president with devoting more attention to construction and renovation projects in Washington than to voters’ concerns about the war in Iran and the rising cost of living issues that were prominent in the run-up to Tuesday’s midterm elections.
One day after Democrats took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Trump mostly disregarded the election results and instead highlighted construction work on a new White House ballroom.
On Thursday, his focus turned to the Oval Office, which he has adorned with gold decorations since returning to power last year, along with the adjoining Cabinet Room.
Trump said the proclamation was meant to shield the two rooms from future changes.
“It won’t be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched, or anything else. It’s actually called a national monument,” he told reporters.
The president stated that the order would prevent future occupants of the White House from carrying out building work on the two rooms.
However, the move has sparked speculation that Trump may be considering further changes to the West Wing after earlier suggestions that he might move reporters out of the White House briefing room, which is near the Oval Office.
Major US television networks did not broadcast Trump’s signing of the order. The White House has left CNN out of the rotating pool of television outlets that cover presidential events.
The president, however, referred to the midterm elections, placing a red baseball cap with the word “veto” on the Resolute Desk in front of him.
Trump, 80, has threatened to use his presidential powers to block legislation backed by Democrats, though he has also said he is willing to work with the opposition party.
