WASHINGTON – The replica is more opulent, more crowded and unmistakably more golden.
The People’s House museum has redesigned its Oval Office exhibit to reflect the décor President Donald Trump selected for his second term.
Visitors now encounter polished vases, gold-toned swirling appliqués, 24 portraits framed in elaborate gilding and decorative objects covering nearly every surface. The museum, located just up Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, has reproduced the rococo details Trump added to the Oval Office, including the ornate wall decorations.
“As political as the Oval Office is, it really is also the office of the American people,” said Luke Boorady, managing director of The People’s House: A White House Experience. “And we want visitors who come here to feel more connected to this space.”
Because public White House tours do not reach the West Wing, the White House Historical Association created its own full-scale Oval Office replica. The exhibit opened in September 2024 and matches the dimensions of the original, though many visitors are surprised by how compact the room feels in person.
A network of specialty designers helped update the display, visiting Trump’s Oval Office while the president was away. North Carolina artisans reproduced the wall appliqués, while a specialist in Indianapolis used 3D scanning and printing to duplicate unusual objects. California craftsmen carved the gilded frames by hand, and teams in Canada and Virginia recreated the vases and other pieces displayed on tables, Boorady said.
The replica also includes the two mirrors and a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence found in Trump’s actual office.
Trump has reshaped the White House in his own image
Long before entering politics, Trump was a real estate developer known for lavish design. As president, he has used that same aesthetic to renovate parts of the White House and leave a personal imprint on the nation’s capital.
Asked by Time magazine last week what he would miss most after leaving the White House, Trump pointed to the Oval Office. “This beautiful room that nobody should be allowed to rip down. The Oval Office,” he said. He added that he had instructed his chief of staff to seek federal landmark status for the remodeled room.
Trump’s changes extend well beyond the Oval Office. Near the Rose Garden, he replaced lawn with a patio modeled after the outdoor space at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. He also arranged a series of presidential portraits along the colonnade connecting the residence and the West Wing.
Other projects have included installing tall flagpoles on the North and South lawns, refurbishing the Palm Room and the bathroom associated with the renowned Lincoln Bedroom, and ordering restoration work on the North Portico’s front columns.
The project that appears to give Trump the greatest satisfaction, however, is the $400 million ballroom being constructed after the East Wing was demolished. “It relaxes me, actually,” the president said of the ballroom during an unrelated event last week.
Trump’s language has also reflected his strong sense of possession. While defending his effort to bar CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House grounds, he briefly referred to the building as his own. “I don’t have to let them into my — into the people’s house,” he said.
Trump’s first-term Oval Office replica receives another makeover
The White House Historical Association initially styled the museum’s Oval Office reproduction after Democratic President Joe Biden’s design. Following the 2024 election, the exhibit was revised to reflect Trump’s first-term décor before undergoing its latest transformation.
A 25-person crew spent most of last week on the installation, working from early Monday through Friday and completing the final details Saturday.
According to Boorady, Biden was the first president to place two rows of portraits above the Oval Office fireplace. Trump has taken the approach throughout the room, filling the walls with images of figures including George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Franklin.
The original Oval Office achieves its brighter finish with genuine gold leaf. For the museum version, the team used a specially formulated paint instead, avoiding gold leaf because frequent visitor traffic could cause chipping and other damage.
Trump was previously reported to have used superglue while trying to attach gold ornaments to the Oval Office fireplace, according to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in their book “Regime Change.”
But no superglue was needed in the replica office. Crews used laser levels and temporary adhesive to fix items to the walls, checking their work for accuracy against renderings of the actual office before nailing many adornments to the walls.
It’s not all new flair with Trump
There are many things in Trump’s Oval Office that have stood the test of time: a beige-patterned rug from the Ronald Reagan era, gold draperies from Bill Clinton’s tenure, and couches and chairs from the George W. Bush White House.
Of course there is a copy of the Resolute Desk. Visitors to the People’s House are allowed to sit in the chairs and behind the replicated desk, which Trump and most presidents have used since it was gifted to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.
The White House Historical Association declined to say how much remaking the replica Oval Office cost. The organization, created in 1961 by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, receives no government funding, and raises money through private donations and sales of retail merchandise.
Trump briefly stopped by its gift shop during an unannounced visit to the People’s House in August 2025. Asked whether Trump would come for a personal peek at his newly replicated workspace, Boorady replied, “I don’t know” before adding that he is “always welcome.”
