The People's House: A White House Experience in Washington DC has unveiled an elaborate, full-scale overhaul of its Oval Office replica to match Donald Trump's second-term aesthetic, described by the New York Times as a “gilded rococo nightmare”.
Located at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, just 150 yards from the real White House, the interactive museum now features two dozen portraits in heavy carved frames, swirling wall onlays, gleaming brass vases, and decorative knickknacks crowding nearly every available surface. Gone is the understated decor of Joe Biden and his predecessors.
Visitors React to the Gold
Among the steady stream of visitors on Thursday was nine-year-old Sydney Wright, who posed behind a replica Resolute Desk. “I love it,” she smiled, adding about the gold appliqués, gold leaf, and gold trim: “It's cool.”
Her father, Drew Wright, a 36-year-old firefighter from Athens, Georgia, who voted for Trump twice, said he viewed the additions as “paying homage to the people who laid the pathway that we have to raise our children in this great nation”. Asked about the goldening, he replied: “There's always going to be critics. There's always going to be haters. Just because they're the loudest ones in the room doesn't mean they're right. I don't know what it looked like before but I think it's a pretty classic look.”
Cheri Lujan Hamilton, 54, chief clerk of the New Mexico state senate, said: “I'm kind of in awe. I was disappointed we couldn't get into the White House for a tour so this is the next best thing.” She added: “It's grand. I like everything that's grand. I do think all the gold around the doors is maybe a little too much. But I like it on the top.”
Historical Details and Craftsmanship
The walls now feature portraits of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Benjamin Franklin, with Ronald Reagan appearing twice. Only one woman is on display: former first lady Jackie Kennedy. A bust of Theodore Roosevelt by James Earle Fraser glowers from a bookshelf, flanked by bound volumes of the 26th president's works. Other books include Hawthorne's Works and Writings of Washington. There are two mirrors and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
A team of specialised designers visited Trump's actual office while he was away to ensure authenticity. They used 3D scanning in Indianapolis and crafted hand-carved gold frames in California, while teams in Canada and Virginia worked on replicas of vases and other tabletop pieces. The transition took one week with more than 25 crew members onsite, using laser levels and temporary adhesive before nailing many adornments to the walls.
Matthew Costello, chief education officer at the White House Historical Association, said in an email: “As we have seen throughout White House history, each president transitions the Oval Office according to his own tastes. It is our hope that through the evolutions of our Oval Office replica, people will be inspired to learn more about and even see themselves in White House history.”
Broader Renovations and Reactions
One key difference remains: while the real Oval Office relies on gilded gold leaf, the museum opted for a specialised gold paint solution to protect against chipping or wear and tear from visitors.
The transformation provides a microcosm of Trump's campaign to remake Washington DC. Beyond the Oval Office, Trump knocked down the East Wing to build a $400m ballroom, paved over the Rose Garden's lawn for a white stone patio reminiscent of Mar-a-Lago, added a row of presidential portraits replacing Biden with an autopen, and constructed a granite helipad on the south lawn. He also initiated an overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, proposed a 250ft triumphal arch near Arlington national cemetery, and threatened to tear down the John F Kennedy Center if it does not bear his name.
Carl Wilkerson, 73, a retired marine from Hereford, Arizona, offered an impassioned defense: “We need to have a little bling-bling, man. This is the United States of America. This is the greatest country on the planet, so we need to show it off.” He added: “You go over there in the east. He's walked in their palaces and it's like, boom. It pops. Their palaces outdid the White House 10 to one. We need to step up our game a little bit. We are the greatest country on the planet. So you need to act like it – and look like it.”
Pedro Robles, 50, a police officer from Nashville, Tennessee, called the replica “pretty cool” and disputed that the gilding crosses into bad taste: “I don't think so. I don't think it looks tacky.” Trump, when asked by Time magazine what he would miss most about the White House, answered: “This beautiful room that nobody should be allowed to rip down. The Oval Office.”
