For the love of gold: Inside the Oval Office makeover by Donald Trump

The Oval Office has had a bit of a makeover recently.

Every president leaves their mark on the White House, swapping out decor and rearranging details to reflect their style and priorities. But in his second term, Donald Trump has taken that tradition in a flashier direction with his not-so-subtle love for gold, glitz, and unapologetic grandeur.

“The transformation has been gradual and unmistakable… By February, some golden urns on the mantle. April, gold adornments appear on the walls. By July, it’s gold everywhere. Just this week more scaffolding popped up, even more new gold trim appeared,” Acyn Torabi, a journalist, wrote on Trump’s new glitzy new ‘gold’ Oval Office.    

So what has changed? And how does it differ from what his predecessor, Joe Biden, did? Here’s a closer look.

Golden embellishments

Under Joe Biden, the Oval Office ceiling was simple, cream wallpaper with matching crown moulding and no extra flourishes.

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Donald Trump has taken that understated look in a very different direction. He added gold trim to the crown moulding, pairing it with the gold curtains that have hung in the office since Biden’s term.

The greenery that once sat on the mantel, a potted Swedish ivy, was also removed. In its place now stand nine gold trophies, most of them made in Europe.

Critics say the changes make the Oval Office resemble the royal palaces America once fought to break away from. But Trump sees it differently. Speaking to Fox News in March, he said the office “needed a little life,” so he chose gold.

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“They say angels bring good luck,” he explained. “And we need a lot of luck in this country with what they have done over the last four years.”

By April, the gold touches were impossible to ignore. That’s when Trump’s “gold guy,” John Icart, the same craftsman who worked on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, was flown in from South Florida. According to officials, Icart added gold accents to the mantel, walls, and mouldings, and even delivered golden cherubs that now sit on display.

Trump also brought in smaller gold details, such as coasters, branded with his name.

A golden presidential seal

The presidential seal on the Oval Office ceiling has been there for decades. Franklin D. Roosevelt first added the plaster relief during a 1934 renovation, and for years, it remained a subtle detail.

Not anymore. In Trump’s latest overhaul, the seal and the surrounding stars have been painted in gilded gold, making them stand out far more than before.

But to be fair, Trump’s taste for gold is nothing new. His Trump Tower penthouse in New York is lined with gilded ceilings, furniture, and artwork. At Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, even the ballroom gleams with gold from floor to ceiling.

Rugs, flags & portraits

One of Trump’s first moves after returning to the White House was to swap out the Oval Office rug and change up the portraits.

Gone is the dark blue rug, originally made for Bill Clinton, that featured the presidential seal in the centre.

In its place, Trump brought back a lighter rug once used by Ronald Reagan. The design still includes the presidential seal, but also features a sunbeam pattern and olive branches around the border, meant to symbolise peace. It’s the same rug Trump used during his first term.

Trump’s Oval Office also now feature the flags of the Army, the Marine Corps, and the Navy.

The walls have had just as big a shake-up. Under Biden, the Entrance Hall displayed Barack Obama’s official White House portrait, a hyper-realistic painting showing the former   president in a navy suit. That’s now gone, replaced by a painting of Trump himself.

The new piece, by artist Marc Lipp, is based on a photo taken moments after the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, showing him with his fist raised.

Trump didn’t stop there. He’s added more portraits in ornate frames, turning one wall into a kind of gallery. He also replaced Biden’s portrait of Franklin D Roosevelt with a portrait of George Washington.

The Rose Garden refresh

The White House Rose Garden has been through many changes over the decades. Originally designed in 1913 by First Lady Ellen Wilson as a formal flower garden, it was later reimagined as a grassy lawn for press conferences and official events.

In 2020, Melania Trump added a limestone border around the grass, but in his second term, Trump went much further. The lawn is now gone, replaced with concrete and stone tiles, giving the space the look and feel of a Mar-a-Lago-style patio.

Trump has been open about why he made the change. Speaking to Fox News in March, he said the grass was simply “impractical” for big gatherings, especially when it rained.

“The grass just doesn’t work,” he told host Laura Ingraham. “It gets wet, and people in high heels can’t walk on it. This way, it works for everyone.”

A ballroom in the works

Trump’s taste for big, bold spaces isn’t stopping at the Rose Garden. His next project is on a much grander scale: a $200 million state ballroom in the East Wing.

The White House’s current largest state room, the East Room, holds around 200 people. The planned ballroom will triple that, with a seating capacity of 650 and an expansive 90,000 square feet of space.

The White House has called it a “much-needed and exquisite addition.” Trump says the funding will come from himself and “patriot donors,” not taxpayers.

It’s not hard to guess what kind of look he’s going for, if his past projects are anything to go by, expect a lot of shine and a whole lot of spectacle.

With input from agencies