Trump signs order to prevent Oval Office changes after ‘Cheesecake Factory’ claim

He says the order would ‘make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space’.

And surprise, it’s not the White House ballroom this time around.

That issue was addressed by Trump just hours after the election, as Republicans were grappling with the aftermath of major midterm losses and voter anger.

Once more, he boasted how the ballroom will be “the most beautiful in the world.”

Following those comments, Trump has now shifted his focus to the Oval Office, which he has also redecorated heavily.

An executive order which he has now signed will prevent future American presidents from making certain changes to the White House Oval Office, Trump has said.

He signed the executive order which declares the president's official office, which he has renovated, to be a national monument.

In Trump’s words, the order would “make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space”.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump said: “We're making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people, in order to build something in a slightly different shape.”

What Trump's order means for future US presidents

Whether a future president or a legal challenge can reverse this action remains unclear.

While US presidents have the power to make some changes to the White House, they must still get permission of Congress for large projects.

Trump said that world leaders who have visited in recent months have complimented his decorative changes to the room.

“We like the Oval Office, and it's a symbol, like the White House itself. It's a symbol of our country and the greatness of our country”, Trump said.

But former president Barack Obama made it clear the new Oval Office wasn’t exactly his cup of tea, and criticised Trump’s redesigns during the midterm election campaign.

Trump’s golden tweaks, Obama said, have “got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory”.

While noting that he has been a long-time patron of the Cheesecake Factory, which he frequented with his two daughters, Obama said that the Trump administration was focusing on “phony outrage” over interior design rather than addressing pressing issues like rising prices and the cost of living.

But according to Trump, the White House and the Oval Office had been in need of repairs before his changes.

As he called it “badly damaged”, he described broken windows, cracked walls and broken stone.

But in spite of his claims, many of the noticeable changes were of an aesthetic nature, as they include a large gold plaque reading “Oval Office” .

Trump taking questions from the media in the Oval Office of the White House. Credit: Getty Images

Inside the office, there are at least 10 golden portraits hung and two golden framed mirrors.

There are also multiple golden wall decorations and an assortment of golden vases on top of a fireplace lined with gold.

Just months earlier, Trump tore down the entirety of the White House East Wing in a project that has faced legal challenges.

While the project wasn’t US Congress-approved, construction continued with with plans to turn the space into a new ballroom.

There are other projects which Trump has also pushed for across Washington, and they include plans to build a new triumphal arch, which has been temporarily put on hold by a federal judge, and renovating the Kennedy Center.