President Donald Trump is facing criticism for his extensive White House renovations that have transformed the executive mansion with gold decorations, a paved Rose Garden, and plans for a $200 million ballroom.
Trump has made dramatic changes to the Oval Office since returning in January. He added gold trim to the ceiling, fireplace, and presidential seal. Gold medallions line the walls, while gold eagles hold up marble tables. The mantle displays seven historic gilded objects, including two vases from President James Monroe’s collection.
The president tripled the paintings on the walls, adding portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and other figures in gold frames. Above doorways, gold cherubs look down at visitors. Trump has gold coasters reading “TRUMP” and a gold FIFA Club World Cup trophy replica behind his desk.
“Throughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, and they’ve never been able to do it,” Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham during a March tour.
The changes extend beyond the Oval Office. This week, Jeanine Pirro revealed that Trump added gold picture frames to the West Colonnade, the walkway between the West Wing and the main residence. The walls had remained blank since Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. Two portraits show George Washington and Jefferson, while other frames remain covered.
Trump completed his most controversial project in August when he paved over the Rose Garden lawn. The garden, designed during the Kennedy administration in 1962, now features white stone tiles. Cafe-style tables with bright yellow umbrellas identical to those at Mar-a-Lago sit on the new patio.
The president defended the Rose Garden changes by citing practical problems. He told reporters in February that during press events, women’s heels were sinking into wet grass. Trump said the new white stone is the same color as the White House and “because it’s very white, it’s going to reflect the heat.”
The National Park Service oversaw the Rose Garden construction, funded by the Trust for the National Mall and private donors. The project replaced grass that had been part of the garden design for over 60 years.
Trump’s biggest plan involves building a massive ballroom where the East Wing currently sits. The 90,000-square-foot space would cost $200 million and accommodate 650 guests, more than three times the current capacity. Construction begins in September.
Renderings show gold and crystal chandeliers, white Corinthian columns, and marble floors. The design matches Trump’s Mar-a-Lago ballroom, completed in 2005 for $40 million. Trump and private donors will pay for the project.
“When it rains or snows, it’s a disaster,” Trump told NBC News about current outdoor events, explaining why the ballroom is needed.
The East Wing, originally built in 1902 and expanded in 1942 under Franklin D. Roosevelt, currently houses the First Lady’s offices. These will be relocated during construction. The ballroom project represents the largest White House expansion in decades.
Critics have blasted Trump’s aesthetic choices as inappropriate for the White House. Interior design experts say the heavy gold decoration clashes with the building’s original neoclassical style, which was meant to be simple and dignified rather than palace-like.
A former White House official who worked for both Democratic and Republican administrations told CNN that while every president has a right to decorate the Oval Office, Trump’s décor is “so weirdly un-presidential, it’s more king-like.”
Social media users have compared the renovations to Trump’s hotels and casinos, calling them “gaudy” and “tacky.” Many criticized the Rose Garden paving as destroying a historic landscape carefully maintained for generations.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the changes in March, saying the White House has not been given proper care in many decades. He said Trump is taking steps to preserve and restore the greatness of the People’s House.
Trump has made smaller changes throughout the White House. He brought back the “Diet Coke button” on his desk, replaced Joe Biden’s dark blue rug with Ronald Reagan’s sunburst pattern, and returned the Winston Churchill bust.
The president has personally overseen renovation details. During Cabinet meetings, he has asked members if they could apply gold leaf to ceiling moldings. The gold work was done by the same artisan who worked on Mar-a-Lago.
Trump’s changes represent some of the most extensive White House renovations in modern history. The ballroom project would permanently alter the White House complex for future administrations. All major projects are being funded through private donations rather than taxpayer money.
