Trump makes the Oval Office a national monument so ‘stupid people’ can’t rip it down

Hours after his party lost Congress, Trump had a fix for the Oval Office: turn it into a national monument so nobody can touch the redesign. “So we’re making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody,” destroyed or “ripped down by stupid people in order to build something in a slightly different shape.”

Earlier in the same Signing Time remarks he previewed the point of the paperwork: once it’s “fully done and legally binding,” it will “make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space.” Asked whether modifications are still allowed, he said: “No major modification without the approval of Congress.”

This is the same White House that tore down the East Wing for his ballroom. ABC and AP cover the monument proclamation as an attempt to lock in his gold-heavy remodel; AP notes future presidents can still redecorate. The monument, in other words, is permanent until it isn’t.