Trump signs proclamation to prevent changes to Oval Office, other White House rooms

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday designating the Oval Office, the Outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as a national monument and federal landmark, a move intended to preserve the spaces and prevent future administrations from altering them.

"It won't be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched or anything else," Trump told reporters from the Oval Office. "It’s actually called a national monument. It’s a federal landmark. When completed … it'll make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space. "

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, Trump signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument and federal landmark. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

The announcement came two days after the midterm elections in which Democrats won enough seats to gain control of Congress.

The proclamation is part of a broader series of post-election public appearances highlighting White House construction initiatives.

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet with Micheal Martin, Ireland's prime minister, in the Oval Office. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On Monday, Trump detailed planned updates during remarks in front of the Reflecting Pool. On Wednesday, he held a press briefing at the construction site of a new White House ballroom.

Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has prioritized several high-profile architectural and cultural projects, including a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and proposals to rename and restructure the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.