For his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump is certainly doing things his way, as could be expected from his frequent use of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” at special events. Recently, his unique approach to Oval Office décor has gone viral online.
“A side-by-side comparison of the Oval Office decor under former President Joe Biden,” compared to Trump’s shared by Associated Press White House reporter Michelle L. Price kicked off the viral comparison, according to the Huffington Post. As of Wednesday, it had around 58,000 likes on X.
“This picture from the White House really shows how many gold accents have been added to the Oval Office,” she said. HuffPost shared several posts criticizing Trump’s design choices in the office. Some called it “Russian Oligarch” chic or “tacky” and one said “Liberace would even ask him to tone it down,” referring to the famously glitzy entertainer.
Recent photos of the Oval Office from a Monday meeting that included Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do show gold elements on the walls, what appear to be gold vases or trophies and several paintings. A Nov. 12 photo of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to the U.S., when Biden was still in office, appears to show fewer paintings and none of the gold décor.
Audacy combed through Getty Images to find images at a similar angle from former President Barack Obama’s tenure and Trump’s first term in office for further comparison.
When Obama met with Trump at the Oval Office in November 2016, there were even fewer paintings than in Biden’s last days, different striped wallpaper and none of the gold décor. Trump appeared to have the same striped wallpaper, number of paintings and décor to what Obama had when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited in February 2017.
However, Price’s post isn’t the first time that Trump has been associated with gold decorating. During his career as a real estate mogul, it even became part of his brand.
A 1984 article in The New York Times Magazine describes an outing with Trump to an appointment with architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee.
“Models are brought in of Mr. Trump’s next – can it be! – proposed building, a 60-story castle, Trump Castle, six cylinders of varying heights with gold-leafed, coned and crenelated tops to be built at 60th Street and Madison Avenue. There is to be a moat and a drawbridge. ‘My idea,’ says Mr.
Johnson with a mischievous grin. ‘Very Trumpish.’”