Melania Trump's Glaring White House Absence Explains Donald's Tacky Oval Office Décor

For months, there's been speculation about how much time Melania Trump would be spending at the White House. Melania herself indicated that she had multiple roles to juggle and multiple homes from which to choose. Speaking to Fox News in January, Melania indicated that she'd divide her time, although she seemed to emphasize the White House. "Once we are in on Jan. 20, you serve the country," she asserted. However, it didn't take long until Melania's documentary reportedly took priority, and she left Donald Trump on his own. According to a May 7, 2025, report by The New York Times, some individuals claim that Melania's only been in Washington, D.C., for about 13 percent of Donald's second term.

When it came to décor decisions, Melania prepped ahead of time. "I already selected the furniture," she informed Fox News a week before the inauguration. "A little bit of changes. Not much." However, judging by the Oval Office's excessively gold updates, Donald appears to be taking advantage of his wife's absence and going with his own aesthetic preferences.

The president looks like he's taking inspiration from Scrooge McDuck's money bin. Rather than a work/meeting space, the Oval Office has the vibe of a collector's display room. In this case, Donald's goal seems to be trying to cram the space with as many golden objects as possible. "It becomes more and more beautiful with love," Trump informed Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister (via Newsweek). "We handle it with great love — and 24-karat gold."

Since Melania Trump is purportedly away from the White House the majority of the time, Donald Trump is embarking on one of her past projects: the Rose Garden. Melania led a controversial Rose Garden renovation towards the end of his first term. Although she got flak for her decisions, some of the modifications were intended to solve persistent problems.

This time around, extensive hardscaping is said to be at the top of Donald's wish list for the Rose Garden. He also wants to revive a pet project: a new ballroom. While Donald's been musing about this addition for 15 years, it may take a fraction of the time to bring his vision to life. "He's a builder," Susie Wiles, the president's chief of staff, informed the New York Post. "Once the preliminary work is done, I expect it to go up pretty quickly."

Since Melania's said to enforce strict boundaries with Donald, it's less likely he's stepping on her toes by making these aesthetic decisions while she's elsewhere. However, it could be helpful if she did weigh in, especially when it comes to his Oval Office décor. Some of the pieces have been hanging around the presidential mansion for decades, and Donald stockpiled them all together. While some people think it's tacky, some believe Donald nailed it in terms of self-expression. "The Trump brand is synonymous with over-the-top golden opulence, so Trump's version of the Oval is very on-brand," NPR host Tamara Keith explained.