price of eggs? We don’t talk about that. The cost of living? Unimportant. When it comes to something that matters very much to Donald himself, though, he hits the ground running — and delivers exactly what he wants in true Trumpian “style.”
Many presidents revamp the Oval Office during their tenure. It’s a way to signal a change of regime, it can help them settle into an office that more closely matches their own personal sense of style, and sometimes it’s just a vanity project to say they were there and they had an impact. A change of carpet, new drapes, shuffling the paintings. We’re all human. Trump is no different in this regard, although his particular choices have attracted criticism for being pretty awful.
Trump’s Oval Office makeover just keeps getting tackier.
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) March 14, 2025
Now, he’s attached gold junk to the fireplace mantle—because apparently, nothing is safe from his gaudy obsession.
Portraits, tacky gold fixtures, and zero taste. Absolutely sickening. pic.twitter.com/FQqlXgOKmZ
Political strategist Chris D. Jackson posted a comparison photograph to the social media platform X showing off the “tacky” renovations Trump has made to the Oval Office, from adding gold decorations to almost everything to his removal of a famous Swedish ivy that’s sat on the mantel for decades. This is Trump all over: His “taste,” such as it is, requires big, flashy statements designed to show off how much money he has. Gold, gold, gold — if it’s expensive, it’s tasteful.
People on X were quick to agree with Jackson about the president’s “absolutely sickening” lack of taste, posting all kinds of takedowns, with one going so far as to call him “trailer trash in a suit with a key to Fort Knox,” while others were aghast at what he’d done to the fireplace.
He's gold leafing everything to make sure everyone knows he's better than them. Anyone with a brain and an ounce of tact knows the opposite is true: this is trailer trash in a suit with a key to fort knox.
— Mike (@mnike_likes_it) March 14, 2025
What has he stuck on the fireplace? He’s changed the carpet too, Trump tower meets the White House. Imagine what his Florida pad is like, full size leopard statues and assorted tat.
— Northern Girl ✨🌟💫 (@NG26731) March 14, 2025
While it might not seem like a big deal, Trump’s change to the decoration above the fireplace actually breaks a decades old tradition going back to the Kennedy istration after the original plant was received as a diplomatic gift from Ireland. The plant that formerly resided upon the mantelpiece is a Swedish ivy, and there’s been one on the mantel for a very long time. This Time article from 1984 talks about the plant’s long tenure in the Oval Office, describing how descendants of the very first Swedish ivy to be used in the office have replaced each plant as it gets too big for display — America’s true political dynasty that no one’s ever heard of!
This is the kind of intangible institutional tradition and history that Donald Trump has absolutely no care for. According to the White House Historical Association, by tradition, many presidents use decorative works and furniture already present within the White House collection rather than adding new material, despite getting a $100,000 allowance to do so. Some presidents, such as Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan, use private funds to decorate instead.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lagofication of the White House is probably to be expected, even if it does feel like an extreme show of poor taste. This is hardly the worst thing Trump has done or will do while in office — we can look to the monumentally stupid trade wars with close allies for better examples of that — but it’s a disappointing piece of cultural vandalism that is emblematic of Trump and how he’s changing America’s place in the world.
Published: Mar 15, 2025 10:06 am