Trump issues proclamation declaring Oval Office national monument

United States President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and the adjacent Cabinet Room as a national monument. The monument also includes the Outer Oval Office.

The move is intended to prevent any major changes to the spaces, which the president has heavily redesigned during his second term in office. The effort is also aimed at preserving the spaces’ “historic character, architectural integrity, and association with the Presidency”, according to the proclamation.

The proclamation orders the interior secretary to manage the monument through the National Park Service, and requires “documentation, review, and consideration of alternatives before any action that would substantially alter or demolish the monument”. The measure does not prevent future presidents from restyling the Oval Office.