Trump makes the Oval Office a national monument. But future presidents can still redecorate

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation that he notes will preserve the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument, his first official action after his party was swept aside in midterm elections on Tuesday.

What happened

But the action does not prevent future presidents from restyling the iconic office that Trump has filled to the brim with gold flourishes, nor does it prevent a successor from rolling back the proclamation itself. Trump himself has reversed national monument designations created by his predecessors.

Trump, nevertheless, described the Oval Office order in expansive terms. "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, " Trump remarked. "We like the Oval Office, and it's a symbol, like the White House itself."

The bottom line

In short, trump makes the Oval Office a national monument. But future presidents can is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.