Trump Was Shut Down From Bringing This Tacky Decor Element To The Oval Office

President Donald Trump's alarmingly big ego and wealth are vividly illustrated by his extravagant living spaces at Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower. Like his predecessors, President Trump understandably wanted to add tastes of his lavish residential life into the White House to better represent his personality and make it feel more homey. The results, however, said more about his self-absorbed personality than his luxurious taste.

Per an April 16, 2025 article from The Wall Street Journal, President Trump hired the Florida-based cabinetmaker John Icart to fill the White House with gold pieces anywhere possible. The former reality TV star particularly wished to spruce up the Oval Office with a chandelier, and even had the room inspected to gauge its feasibility. Unfortunately for the president, but perhaps to the joy of any staffers sick of seeing gold in the historic mansion, unnamed Trump administration officials said his request was ultimately denied. The grand light fixture was reportedly too heavy to be hung there, but another Trump administration source told the outlet it may eventually end up in another spot of the historic house.

The White House is meant to be an honorable place for the president of the United States to both live and work out of. It doesn't take a political or interior design expert to realize that President Donald Trump seemed to turn the executive mansion into his very own self-gratifying fortress, however, via the several decorations and images of himself he slapped on the walls. The commander in chief's American flag-centric White House portrait proved his ego truly knows no bounds, and he showed money can't buy taste with Oval Office updates that turned the room into Trump Tower 2.0. The president's workspace transformed into his "me" room with the addition of several gold trinkets, and some gold elements in the White House even boast his name, according to The Wall Street Journal.

President Trump is clearly proud of his expensive possessions and decorating skills, and we wouldn't doubt if he continued filling the White House with more of these items to celebrate himself and flex his wealth. Some people are less thrilled by his decorations, though. "Trump couldn't miss a chance in [a] press interview today to comment on his amazing transformation of the oval office with 24K gold gilding," one X user wrote. "Gaudy [and] ostentatious comes to mind, as well as representing the office of POTUS like a king rather than a servant of the people." Regardless of how much supposed flair he added to the presidential home, some onlookers aren't convinced President Trump did anything to improve it. "Trash is trash no matter how much you guild it with gold," another X user wrote.