A picture of the newly redesigned Oval Office has made its way onto the internet, and people online’s worst fears were confirmed: Donald Trump’s infamous taste for gold finishing and gaudy décor has struck again.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticize Trump’s time at the White House. At times, however, the press has been overly focused on styling choices of those who occupy it. For instance, Barack Obama once became the talk of the town simply for wearing a tan suit while addressing the situation in Syria. That moment alone created a controversial legacy, and looking back, many wonder why the focus wasn’t more on Syria than on what suit the president was wearing. With Trump, however, his redesign of the White House has become a controversy in itself rather than just a distraction from one.
The first puzzling decision was when Trump announced that he would personally reach out to his political allies to help fund a brand-new $200 million ballroom at the White House. The source of funding might not be coming from taxpayers directly — although much has been made about the donors being the same people who benefited from Trump’s megabill tax cuts to billionaires.
The next redesign of the White House was perhaps even worse when Trump decided to rework the Rose Garden. Well regarded as one of the most iconic pieces of White House architecture and landscaping, Trump turned the garden into a paved marble floor. He justified the decision by claiming that heels were sinking into the lawn. Instead of having guests adjust their attire to the space, Trump opted to make the space adjust to his guests. He also insisted he has received nothing but positive reviews from allies and the press about the change — but a quick search online shows just how untrue that is.
The mixture of tone-deafness to the economic realities of the day and the over-the-top nature of the new, very golden, very tacky socially awkward Oval Office has pushed social media outrage to an all-time high. On X, users called the new golden finishing a house of ill repute, with many commenting that it reminds them of Trump’s long history in the hallways of casinos. Some even noticed how disturbingly similar the Oval Office looks like his former best friend Jeffrey Epstein. Others pointed out that covering everything in gold has long been associated with authoritarians who use symbols of success and power, such as gold and military imagery, to portray themselves as larger than life.
House of ill repute..
— Old Man Lefty (@OldManLefty1) August 19, 2025
The only words that fit Trump’s Oval Office: “tacky casino lobby dipped in gold spray paint.”
— P a u l ◉ (@SkylineReport) August 19, 2025
It’s just so…EPSTEIN pic.twitter.com/rVGsWGnwRW
— RealMonkeyTheCat (@RealMonkeyCat) August 19, 2025
He's turned the Oval Office into Saddam Hussein's palace.
— Woke Lefty(@SalfordMe2023) August 19, 2025
Trump’s supporters often bemoan that the president is overanalyzed, insisting that criticism of anything beyond his policy is simply part of a grand mass delusion they mockingly call “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” However, it’s worth noting that how he wants the country to view him and his administration through the lens of history is perhaps the greatest indicator of what he seeks to accomplish at the end of the day. So far, it looks as if the only thing on his mind is being remembered for the luxurious life he led. It is becoming clearer and clearer that his goal was always to make Trump great — everything else was secondary.
