The president has been making some unusual decorative choices since returning to the White House, including the addition of numerous gold accents to the Oval Office. And now, that has extended to the outside of the Oval Office- with the inclusion of the letters “The Oval Office.” The addition of the letters came during the continuing government shutdown, and after an off-year election Tuesday in which Republicans got crushed nationwide.
Per The Hill, when Trump left the White House yesterday to head to Florida, “reporters could clearly tell what room he was exiting thanks to new signage added along the outside of the building.”
“Photos and videos showed that there was a new gold-script sign that said “The Oval Office” next to the entrance to the room near the Rose Garden. Photos appeared to show that the signs were pieces of paper adhered to the wall.”
I’m so glad that Trump had paper letters placed next to the oval office because otherwise, no one with dementia would be able to figure out the oval shaped room in the west wing is actually the oval office.
Oh, and that new 24ct Gold decor above the door, while millions of… pic.twitter.com/QQB7AOiEHN
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) November 5, 2025
It’s not clear why doing so is necessary. It’s always been clear to anyone attending the White House exactly where the Oval Office is.
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Per The Guardian, the new signage has drawn “backlash.”
“A new sign was spotted adorning the White House this week, prompting backlash from lawmakers who have noted that Donald Trump is quite literally gilding the White House during a government shutdown,” the newspaper said.
There was criticism of the signage from multiple Democratic elected officials:
A: This sign looks like shit.
B: 43 million Americans don’t have access to SNAP and are weeks away from health care costs exploding even more. https://t.co/QUNFEv018I
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) November 5, 2025
I wish they would focus on helping struggling Americans, but this isn’t a good sign. https://t.co/dLBVSZx55r
— Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (@SenLBR) November 5, 2025
Good, new signage means he won’t knock it down https://t.co/DivS7hmfRo
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) November 5, 2025
The “Governor Newsom Press Office” account also weighed in further:
https://t.co/k2VNOnnVyL pic.twitter.com/Gc9yl3eE47
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 5, 2025
Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.
