Trump's Gaudy Gold Decor Isn't The Grossest Thing In The Oval Office

Whoever inherits the Oval Office from Donald Trump in 2029 will certainly have a hard time getting all the gold off the walls. Many argue that Trump's Oval Office makeover looks tacky, and if you're not a fan of gold, the sight of it all sure is an assault on the eyes. But there's something else that has caught netizens' attention — the carpet. Every president gets to decorate the space to their liking, and Former President Barack Obama once confessed that his favorite artifact, from two terms in office, was the carpet that was custom-made for him, featuring quotes from other prominent American leaders. 

Obama's favorite quote was one from Martin Luther King, which read: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice," (via The Guardian). Of course, Trump didn't keep this carpet for his first term, and he's added another rug during his second. The new carpet, however, doesn't look all that new. As one pundit pointed out on X, formerly known as Twitter, "He's got tacky plastic covered in gold leaf on the walls but no one seems to know how to clean the rug." 

He's got tacky plastic covered in gold leaf on the walls but no one seems to know how to clean the rug. https://t.co/lAkhULwGx2

— Decoding Fox News (@DecodingFoxNews) August 28, 2025

And indeed, the beige and cream-colored carpet looks like it took quite a beating from various pairs of dirty shoes. Of course, it could simply be the lighting playing tricks. Some X users argued that the carpet actually isn't dirty and the alternating colors are the result of pile direction. Either way, choosing such a light-colored rug for an office with plenty of foot traffic wasn't the wisest choice, but Trump likely thought it complimented the gold accents.

The moment his second term commenced, Donald Trump brought back the most bizarre Oval Office feature from his first term: The infamous Diet Coke button, which once left Vice President JD Vance terrified when he understandably assumed that pressing it would trigger a nuclear war. What is more concerning to some, however, is what the president's obsession with gold might convey. While speaking with NPR, the Washington Post's Robin Givhan pointed out that the gold accents and artifacts in the Oval Office project a sense of "regalness," something the United States actively tried to move away from after becoming an independent country. She elaborated, "Part of the power of the Oval Office has always come from the fact that it didn't need all of these elements in order to convey authority. The authority came from the people and from democracy." 

NPR's senior White House correspondent, Tamara Keith, agreed. While discussing the topic on the outlet's "All Things Considered" podcast, Keith noted that, aside from the gold photo frames and assorted ornaments, the Oval Office also features golden coasters with "Trump 47" engraved on them. The president has covered practically every surface in gold, save for the Diet Coke button — probably so he can easily distinguish it from the rest of the room.

While few are surprised by Trump's chosen theme, some critics have been very outspoken about it. Musician Jack White voiced his distaste on Instagram in August 2025, writing, "It's now a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler's dressing room." White House Communications Director Steven Cheung clapped back with a statement echoing his boss' unique vernacular, decrying White as a "washed-up, has-been loser," (via Rolling Stone).