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Entering the Oval Office of the White House for the first time can be intimidating yet exhilarating. The Oval Office, as many people know, is the famous office of the American president. Memories are still fresh in my mind of the first time I went to the Oval Office in the White House West Wing during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
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I was there as part of the media covering Clinton’s meeting with a visiting East Asian leader. The Oval Office awed me because it is a powerful symbol of America’s status as the premier superpower. I mostly covered the US Congress and the State Department during my seven years in Washington DC in the 1990s. But I sometimes used my Congressional press pass to register for White House entry when the Clinton Administration discussed Hong Kong and mainland issues. Incoming presidents customarily make changes to the White House and Oval Office to suit their tastes. I observed during my Oval Office visit that Clinton had redecorated it with a red, white, and blue color scheme to reflect the American flag, making it look more patriotic.
Barack Obama made simple changes by adding meaningful items such as family photos and a sculpture of Martin Luther King. Joe Biden, who took over after Donald Trump’s first term, replaced Trump’s Oval Office changes with items from the White House collection that reflected history.
Trump, who despises Biden for defeating him in the 2020 elections, got rid of Biden’s changes when he started his second term as president. It has been a year since Trump replaced Biden. He has made such extreme changes to the Oval Office and White House that both have become almost unrecognizable. The changes appalled Americans who treasure history.
Trump, who loves gold-themed furnishings and decor, has transformed the Oval Office into an over-the-top gaudy office. Gold ornaments fill the mantelpiece. The ceiling and armchairs have gold themes. Even paperweights are gold colored. Trump insists he only uses 24-carat gold, but experts say some are cheap store-bought items.
What infuriated Americans most is Trump’s demolition of the historic White House East Wing, built in 1902, to make way for his US$300 million (HK$2.34 billion) gilded ballroom that will fit 1,350 guests. A preservation group filed a lawsuit to stop the ballroom’s construction, but a judge has allowed construction to proceed with the requirement that an official planning agency has access to the ballroom design. Preservation groups are likely to appeal to stop the ballroom.
Trump has three more years as president. I have a feeling whoever replaces him will revert Trump’s garish golden Oval Office back to something befitting a US president. It is impossible to restore the East Wing. The next president will face the toxic dilemma of what to do with Trump’s ballroom – keep it for VIP functions as Trump intended or demolish it. I suggest naming it the People’s Ballroom for the president to host parties for ordinary people, not the rich and powerful.
Michael Chugani is a longtime journalist who has worked in Hong Kong, the US, and London
