Donald Trump has, just like every president, made significant changes in the White House once he moved in for his second presidential term. The president has changed the Oval Office extensively, adding details that make it resemble a version of Versailles. Also, a new portrait of Trump, replacing Hillary Clinton, has been hung at the White House. However, one detail in it causes a reaction.
The White House will always have a vital—and symbolic—role in U.S. and world politics. The residence and working place of the President of the United States holds more rooms than one can imagine, as well as places such as the Situation Room, which not everyone can visit.
On Inauguration Day, Donald Trump, like all presidents besides those re-elected, wakes up in one place and goes to sleep at the White House. That day is undoubtedly the busiest in the whole year at the White House as one president is moving out and the other is moving in. The move itself all happens in only five(!) hours, with furniture, personal objects, food, favorite snacks, paintings, and all things imaginable to be switched.
Ultimately, one person is responsible for ensuring everything goes smoothly on a moving day. Joe Biden appointed White House Chief Usher Robert B. Downing, who was responsible for when the Bidens moved out and the Trumps moved in in 2025. One can imagine it’s not an easy job.
“Over the last few decades this has become the standard operating procedure,” Matthew Costello, a senior historian at the White House Historical Association, told The Hill of the tight turnaround. “It is chaotic, but it’s very coordinated.”
Traditionally, the President-Elect is sleeping at Blair House, a 199-room complex over four townhouses quietly facing the White House, the night before the inauguration.
Donald Trump has made changes at the White House
Blair House, a 119-room complex made up of four connected townhouses that quietly face the White House on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, has become the traditional accommodation for the President-elect the night before the inauguration, Elle Decor reported.
At that time, everything is set for the big moving day, and according to ” Kate Andersen Brower, author of The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House, the planning for moving day starts already when the person in question is formally nominated as a presidential cabinet.
In an interview with ABC, Brower explained that the usher typically reaches out to the nominee’s “inner circle” to gather information about their preferences, such as bedding and food, as well as other necessities, which makes planning easier. However, in Donald Trump’s case, things have been relatively easy, considering it’s his second term.
“There’s been a four-year break, but he’ll be back, and they will know exactly what he wants stocked,” Brower told ABC News. “I mean, they know everything, so that makes it a lot easier for the staff.”
Donald Trump has been known for changing the Oval Office a lot for this presidential term. Sure, portraits and furniture are new, but what especially got people’s attention was something else: gold.
Detail in new Donald Trump painting at the White House
As CNN simply stated, “There is gold everywhere.”
“New gold vermeil figurines on the mantle and medallions on the fireplace, gold eagles on the side tables, gilded Rococo mirrors on the doors, and, nestled in the pediments above the doorways, diminutive gold cherubs shipped in from Mar-a-Lago. Even the remote control for the television down the hall is wrapped in gilt,” the site wrote.
While the White House was prepared for Trump in January, that doesn’t mean that new additions can be made throughout the year. While additions might be made in one of the 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms over the six floors at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, now, one has been made on a prominent wall in the East Wing.
Trump replaced the official first lady portrait of Hillary Clinton with a picture of former Republican First Lady Patricia Nixon. Between them, a new Trump portrait overlaid with the American flag has been added.
But the portrait of Trump is not a Photoshop piece. Eagle-eyed fans caught the detail of who had signed the painting as “MAGA Angelo,” People Magazine reported. He has also created similar portraits of Melania, as well as those of Ronald Reagan, in the past.
While it surely is a portrait that stands out at the White House next to all “classic” paintings, Trump finds it has found a great home. See the picture here!
READ MORE
- Trump blasts Iran and Israel for ceasefire breach in explosive rant
- Proud Boys say Trump will lose their support if he engages in Iran war
