Trump Administration Status: White House proclamation; covered by BBC and The Hill

Trump Declares Oval Office a National Monument Under the Antiquities Act

By AFNS Research Desk · November 6, 2026 · 1 min read

Exterior of the White House West Wing (file image) — Photo: Geraldshields11 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

Summary

President Trump signed a proclamation under the Antiquities Act establishing the Oval Office, Outer Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument managed by the National Park Service. Rooms 110, 106, 108 and 105 are covered; substantial alteration requires review, while redecorating and routine security changes are preserved. It is a proclamation, not an executive order.

Proclamation under the Antiquities Act makes the Oval Office, Outer Oval Office and Cabinet Room a national monument managed by NPS (White House)
Monument covers Rooms 110, 106, 108 and 105
Substantial alteration or demolition requires documentation and review of alternatives; presidents may still redecorate and make routine security changes
Trump said he would send the proclamation to Congress for ratification (The Hill)
Per BBC, Trump said the rooms will not be allowed to be touched, destroyed or ripped down by stupid people in order to build something in a slightly different shape
This is a proclamation, not an executive order

Status: White House proclamation. Covered by BBC and The Hill. This is a proclamation, not an executive order.

President Trump signed a proclamation under the Antiquities Act establishing the Oval Office, Outer Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument managed by the National Park Service through the Interior Department. The White House text says the monument covers Rooms 110, 106, 108 and 105.

Substantial alteration or demolition would require documentation and a review of alternatives. The proclamation does not bar presidents from redecorating or making routine security changes, and it does not limit Congress's authority over federal property.

Trump said he would send the proclamation to Congress for ratification, The Hill reports. Per the BBC, he said the rooms 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."