Donald Trump has never been shy about showing off his decorating choices and now he has a royal seal of approval to back them up, at least in his telling.
At The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches Dinner in Florida on May 1st, the 79-year-old president devoted a chunk of his speech to the Oval Office makeover he oversaw during his second term. And his star witness? Queen Camilla herself.
"The biggest people in the world, even the Queen, the other day, she walked in with King Charles," Trump told the audience, recounting the visit. "Camilla, she said, 'Wow, this is the Oval Office' and when the Queen of England says that, it's very cool."
A Royal Visit With a Side of Interior Design
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the US on April 27th and departed April 30th, making it their first state visit as reigning monarchs. The last time the couple visited America officially was back in 2007 and back then, they were accompanying the late Queen Elizabeth II.
This time, they were the main event. The royals were hosted at Blair House, the historic guest residence just across from the White House that has long served as the official home-away-from-home for visiting heads of state.
Their visit did come with some controversy Trump reportedly broke royal protocol at certain points during the trip but it was the Oval Office walkthrough that seemed to leave the most lasting impression, at least on Trump.
The "Mar-a-Lago Treatment"
Trump described his approach to redecorating the Oval Office as giving it what he called the "Mar-a-Lago treatment" a nod to his Florida private club that he's owned since 1985 and has spent years polishing to his personal taste.
The results are hard to miss. The current Oval Office is a study in gold and white. The ceiling now features gold trimming with a presidential design, door frames have been gilded, and even the cherub sculptures inside those frames were repainted in gold. Golden coasters stamped with Trump's name and his presidential number 47 sit on the desk. Statues, ornaments, and presidential portraits in gold frames fill the room.
Outside the office, gold signage marks the entrance. A White House spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that all the gold used in the renovation is of the highest quality and was paid for personally by Trump not taxpayers.
Remaking the White House, Room by Room
The Oval Office wasn't the only space to get a facelift. The Palm Room the glass-walled corridor connecting the White House Residence to the West Colonnade went through a dramatic transformation. Gone are the green benches, potted plants, and tile flooring that gave it a garden-room feel. In their place: a new chandelier and gleaming white marble floors.
Trump also introduced what he's calling the Presidential Walk of Fame along the West Colonnade, featuring every US president displayed in gold frames. There was, however, one notable gap former President Joe Biden appears without an official portrait, represented instead by a photograph of an autopen.
And in the Grand Foyer, Barack Obama's portrait was taken down and replaced with a painting of Trump himself specifically, a dramatic depiction of the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Love it or hate it, Trump has stamped his personality on every corner of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And apparently, even royalty is impressed or at least politely said so.
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