Washington, D.C. — Replica Oval Office Gets Trump-Style Gold Overhaul

What changed inside the replica Oval Office?

The White House Historical Association, which runs The People's House: A White House Experience at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, has overhauled its full-scale Oval Office replica to match President Trump's second-term redecoration, the Guardian reported. The room now carries gold appliqués, gold leaf and gold trim across nearly every surface, along with two dozen portraits in heavy carved frames and swirling wall onlays. The New York Times described the real Oval Office redesign, which the replica mirrors, as a "gilded rococo nightmare," according to the Guardian's account.

Who is pictured on the walls now?

The replica stacks historical figures including George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Franklin, the Guardian reported. Ronald Reagan appears twice. Former first lady Jackie Kennedy is the only woman shown. A bust of Theodore Roosevelt by sculptor James Earle Fraser sits on a bookshelf flanked by bound volumes of Roosevelt's works, alongside other books including Hawthorne's writings and works about Washington. The room also displays two mirrors and a copy of the Declaration of Independence, per the same report.

How does this compare to past administrations' décor?

The redesign is a marked departure from recent predecessors, the Guardian noted. Barack Obama kept just two presidential portraits on display. Joe Biden hung a total of seven paintings and kept what the outlet called an understated, plain decor. The current replica's crowded walls and ornamentation stand in contrast to that minimalism, reflecting the aesthetic shift documented in Trump's actual Oval Office.

What do visitors make of the redesign?

Nine-year-old Sydney Wright was among a steady stream of visitors to the exhibit on a recent Thursday, the Guardian reported. Posing behind the replica Resolute Desk, she told the outlet, "I love it." Asked about the gold appliqués, leaf and trim surrounding her, she added, "It's cool." The Guardian did not report dissenting visitor reactions in its account, though the comparison to prior administrations' decor suggests the change is a visible talking point for guests moving through the exhibit.

Where is the exhibit and what else does it include?

The People's House sits roughly 150 yards from the real White House, run by the nonprofit White House Historical Association, according to the Guardian. The experience includes an orientation film narrated by actor Martin Sheen, known for playing a fictional president on The West Wing. The Guardian noted that for all its physical detail, the museum cannot recreate the experience of a real White House press briefing — a limitation the outlet flagged as it closed its report on the exhibit's unveiling.

The Guardian's report did not include attendance figures, cost of the renovation, or a timeline for when the overhaul began beyond noting it was "just unveiled" and that visitors were photographed at the exhibit on Oct. 2 and the following Thursday.

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