In the power center of the world, the Oval Office, the president of the United States sits behind the Resolute Desk.

On the floor, a young boy pops his head out of its center cabinet. 

The description conjures a familiar image, though it is not one set in 1963. Instead, the year is 2025 and the president is Donald Trump.

The child is his grandson, Theo Kushner, son of First Daughter Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

In May of this year, the Trumps played at replicating the iconic photo of President John F Kennedy and his young son, John Jr.

Since then, Trump seems to have been meticulously crafting his version of ‘Camelot’—a term Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis referred to when describing her late husband’s time in the White House.

Indeed, Trump, now out of office, is concentrating on building his legacy, mainly through projects such as the redesign of the White House Rose Garden, Air Force One, and, of course, the Kennedy Center—all of which are linked to JFK.

But is it deliberate?

President Donald Trump seems to be establishing his own ‘Camelot,’ even replicating the famous image at the Resolute Desk in May. Left: President Donald Trump and grandson Theo Kushner. Right: President John F Kennedy and son John F Kennedy Jr.

President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are shown arriving in Texas in 1963. They arrived aboard the Air Force One they helped design. The Kennedy-era paint scheme has been used on every Air Force One since.

“He loves a good branding story,” noted a senior Trump official, indicating that the president’s choice of hosting Cabinet members and world leaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida mirrors how the Kennedys entertained dignitaries at their Cape Cod family compound in Massachusetts.

Kris Ruby, a public relations and social media expert, told the Daily Mail, “Trump recognizes the potent place the Kennedy era holds in American political memory.”

‘It was associated with sophistication and a distinct White House identity that endures decades later. Trump wants to ensure that his presidency is on par with, or exceeds Kennedy’s historical benchmark.’

Bob Strong, a professor of politics at Washington and Lee University, points to multiple biographical similarities between JFK and Trump.

‘[JFK’s] popularity has survived so many revelations about his affairs and his personal conduct that it is a little surprising it hasn’t diminished,’ Strong said.

‘So I think it’s quite likely that Trump, at some point, and those around him, will think of the best ways to manage how they are remembered.’

President Donald Trump has brought that Mar-a-Lago gilded look to the White House adding gold paint and gold fixtures throughout the Oval Office. During her husband’s time in office, first lady Jackie O oversaw a major renovation of the White House state rooms 

Here, the Daily Mail examines some major the ways Trump is drawing comparisons to Kennedy’s presidency, and going after symbols of his legacy.

The Oval Office 

Trump has added gold touches all over the Oval Office, including around the assortment of historic portraits, but still uses the Resolute Desk – just like Kennedy.  

Trump’s personal Kennedy, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, considered it an upgrade. 

‘I’ve been coming to this building for 65 years and I have to say that it has never looked better,’ he said at an event recently. 

‘I was looking at a picture of the Oval Office the other day when I was there, when I was a kid with my uncle,’ Kennedy said last month. ‘But I have to say that it looked kind of drab in the pictures.

‘And it looks the opposite of drab today.’ 

JFK Jr looks at the White House Rose Garden in April 1963. It was President JFK who first envisioned the outdoor space as an event venue, asking Rachel Lambert ‘Bunny’ Mellon to redesign the colonial-style garden in 1962

First Lady Melania Trump was responsible for the first Rose Garden remodel during the first Trump administration. She cut down some trees and put in walkways around the grass rectangle 

This week patio tables and yellow and white umbrellas, which resemble ones President Donald Trump has at Mar-a-Lago, were added to the White House Rose Garden, which the president paved so it could be used for more events 

The Rose Garden 

It was President Kennedy who first envisioned the outdoor space as an event venue, asking Rachel Lambert ‘Bunny’ Mellon in 1962 to redesign the colonial-style garden that dated back to Teddy Roosevelt’s administration. The new design included rose plantings alongside a large central grass panel.

During the first Trump administration, First Lady Melania Trump put in paved walkways outlining the grass rectangle.

This summer, Trump had workers fill in the rest of the grass, giving the space a patio feel, complete with star-spangled drains and presidential seals stamped into the corners. 

He added patio tables with yellow and white striped umbrellas that are ‘literally the umbrellas from Mar-a-Lago’, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a recent walkthrough. 

‘The roses remain untouched.’ 

Air Force One 

Trump’s desire to redesign the current fleet of Air Force Ones is another symbol of the Kennedy era.

Under Kennedy’s predecessor, President Dwight D Eisenhower, Air Force One had a red-orange head and a black nose, a militaristic-style that reflected the ex-general’s ethos. 

President John F Kennedy at his wife’s urging tasked the preeminent industrial designer of the era, Raymond Loewy, to redesign a new Air Force One plane. Loewy had publicly called the black and red-orange display of the Eisenhower era plane (pictured) ugly 

President John F Kennedy (right) and Jackie O (left) arrive in Dallas in what would have been his last trip on Air Force One. The Kennedy-era design has endured for decades, though President Donald Trump wants to have it changed for his Qatari-gifted Air Force One 

The preeminent industrial designer of the era, Raymond Loewy, thought the design was hideous.

In 1962, Kennedy Onassis advocated for hiring Loewy to redesign the government’s newly acquired Boeing C-137 Stratoliner. 

Meeting twice with the president, Loewy sketched his designs with crayons on the Oval Office floor, proposing two shades of blue and white with typeface inspired by the Declaration of Independence.

Across all versions of Air Force One that have been in service since, the ‘Jackie Kennedy blue’ remained. But since his first term, Trump has wanted to spearhead a redesign. 

‘It’s a symbol of America’s technological prowess, the power of the presidency, the reach of the presidency, the policies of the individual president,’ said Kenneth Walsh, a former White House correspondent for US New & World Report who penned the book, Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes. 

‘Trump is a very good showman and he understands all this.’

Trump negotiated a lower price on a pair of Boeing 747s and pushed for them to have white tops, a deep red stripe along the side and a navy blue belly – but the proposed blue undercarriage on the planes, which were already under construction, was scrapped due to overheating issues. 

President Donald Trump told the Daily Mail in February that ‘no matter what’ he would get his preferred color scheme on a new Air Force One. Now it looks like that new Air Force One will be the $500 million Qatari jet given to the Pentagon earlier this year 

President Donald Trump is getting his own version of Air Force One that is expected to utilize his red, white and blue design. The Department of Defense was given a $400 million plane from the Qatari government 

Joe Biden reversed course on the redesign when he came into office, though Trump was insistent, telling the Daily Mail in February that ‘no matter what’ he would get his preferred color scheme. 

Now with a $400 million Qatari ‘flying palace’ in US government hands, Trump will, at least briefly, put his own stamp on Air Force One. 

He will get to keep it as part of his legacy, as the plane is set to be donated to Trump’s presidential library once his term ends.

The Kennedy Center 

The Kennedy Center is also undergoing design changes, which have yet to be revealed. 

Republicans on the Hill have made a push for the Kennedy Center’s Opera House to have Melania’s name on it.

The president is putting his own mark on it by taking over the Kennedy Center Honors. 

Earlier this month he announced the winners himself and proclaimed that he would be the emcee at the annual ceremony.

Then Senator John F Kennedy (center) plays football with his fiancee Jacqueline Bouvier (right) and brother Edward Kennedy (left) while on vacation at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. One Trump senior official noted the similarities to Mar-a-Lago

There are additional design changes coming to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, after Donald Trump replaced the board and management earlier this year. The design changes to the Kennedy Center have yet to be announced 

The White House 

During the Kennedy years, Kennedy Onassis undertook a major renovation of the White House – restoring a number of the state rooms to reflect certain historic periods. 

Trump plans to modernize the building by expanding the East Wing, originally built in 1902. 

While officials remain unclear whether the existing structure will be demolished or renovated, the 90,000 square foot addition will include a ballroom Trump has envisioned since 2010. Construction is set to begin in September.

Most members of the Kennedy clan have remained members of the Democratic Party – and several turned down opportunities to be interviewed for this story.   

In late July, Maria Shriver – President Kennedy’s niece – took to X to express her outrage that some lawmakers had suggested renaming parts or all of the Kennedy Center after the Trumps. 

She also expressed disgust that Trump had paved over the grass in the Rose Garden.

‘This is insane. It makes my blood boil. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded. Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something.

‘”Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.” What’s next?’ she wrote. 

White House communications director Steven Cheung didn’t push back on the Kennedy comparison, telling the Daily Mail Trump is indeed making a historic mark.

‘His successes on behalf of the American people will be imprinted upon the fabric of America and will be felt by every other White House that comes after him,’ Cheung said.