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Before-and-after photos show changes Trump has made to the White House decor, so far

Before-and-after photos show changes Trump has made to the White House decor, so far

Trump has brought his love of maximalism to the Oval Office. A judge just halted construction on Trump's latest project: a $400 million ballroom.

Gold ornaments in Donald Trump's Oval Office.
Ornaments sit on a shelf as US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 7, 2025. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington on Monday to meet Donald Trump, whom he will likely ask for a reprieve from US tariffs while seeking further backing on Iran and Gaza.
  • Donald Trump has brought his love of maximalism and gold furnishings to the White House.
  • He added gold embellishments to the walls and ceiling of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room.
  • He has also renovated the Rose Garden and demolished the East Wing to build a ballroom.

The Oval Office is looking a little bit different lately.

Every US president makes new interior design choices upon entering the White House, often reflecting their personal tastes or political views.

In his second term, President Donald Trump has incorporated his love of maximalism and gold furnishings into the Oval Office.

He has other, bigger plans for the White House, too. The East Wing was demolished in October to make way for a new $400 million, 90,000-square-foot state ballroom, although a judge halted the construction on Tuesday, saying Congress must approve the project before it can resume.

Take a look inside Trump's redecorated White House to see the changes he's made since former President Joe Biden left office.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The West Wing Colonnade was unadorned during the Biden years.
Joe Biden walks with the president of the Philippines in the West Wing Colonnade.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and US President Joe Biden walk up the West Wing colonnade on their way to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2023.

President Joe Biden walked through the West Colonnade alongside Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in May 2023.

Trump added a "Presidential Walk of Fame" where Biden is depicted with a photo of an autopen producing his signature.
The Presidential Walk of Fame at the White House.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 17: Newly installed plaques summarizing the legacies as interpreted by the Trump White House of former U.S. Presidents Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush are shown along the colonnade, or the "Presidential Walk of Fame", December 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. The colonnade lines the north side of the Rose Garden, which has been recently been partially covered with paving stones.

Trump has criticized Biden's use of an autopen and sought to invalidate Biden's pardons and commutations that were signed with the device.

The plaques accompanying the photos summarize each presidency with occasionally critical commentary on Trump's predecessors. Biden is referred to as "sleepy," and President Barack Obama is described as "divisive."

In a statement, Karoline Leavitt called the plaques "eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind" and said that Trump wrote many of them himself.

The Palm Room, which connects the White House Residence to the West Colonnade, was previously furnished with plants, green benches, and a tile floor.
The Palm Room of the White House during the Biden years.
The presidential lectern is seen in the Palm Room of the White House May 11, 2023, in Washington, DC.

The Palm Room leads out into the Rose Garden.

In September, Trump refinished the room with a new chandelier and a white marble floor.
The Palm Room of the White House.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 01: A view of the Palm Room of the White House on December 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump recently restyled the Palm Room, which connects the White House residence to the West Colonnade leading toward the West Wing.

"New lobby leading to Oval Office — Magnificent marble floor, compliments of President Donald J. Trump!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

During Biden's time in the White House, the door to the Oval Office was not decorated in any way.
Joe Biden leaves the Oval Office.
UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 20: President Joe Biden leaves the Oval Office of the White House before boarding Marine One for a trip to Los Angeles for a campaign reception on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.

Aside from a presidential seal above the door to the West Wing, the walls were empty.

President Donald Trump added new gold signage outside the Oval Office.
Gold signage outside the Oval Office.
A new sign outside the West Wing of the White House marks the entrance to the Oval Office on a snowy evening in Washington, DC, on December 5, 2025.

The gold lettering spelling out "The Oval Office" was set in the Shelley Script font. Trump also added a gold decal to the top of the door.

Biden's dark-blue Oval Office rug was originally designed for Bill Clinton.
Joe Biden's blue Oval Office rug.
President Joe Biden participates in an expanded bilateral meeting on Monday, July 19, 2021, with King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II of Jordan, in the Oval Office of the White House.

The rug, which featured the presidential seal in the center, was designed by Kaki Hockersmith, an interior designer based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Upon returning to the White House, Trump replaced it with a lighter rug used by Ronald Reagan.
Donald Trump's Oval Office rug.
President Donald Trump signs the spending bill that ends the shutdown and reopens the U.S. Government Tuesday, February 3, 2026, in the Oval Office.

The rug's design includes the presidential seal, a sunbeam pattern, and olive branches along the border as a symbol of peace.

Trump also used the rug during his first term.

Biden only had two flags in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 10: U.S. President Joe Biden pauses during a briefing on the wildfires across Los Angeles in the Oval Office of the White House on January 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Biden convened key officials for a briefing on the federal response to multiple devastating wildfires burning across Los Angeles County which have reportedly killed at least 10 people and spread to more than 36,000 acres.

Biden displayed an American flag and a flag with the presidential seal.

Trump added the flags of different branches of the US military.
Donald Trump in the Oval Office in 2025.
Incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles watches as US President Donald Trump speaks to journalists in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025.

Trump's Oval Office features the flags of the Army, the Marine Corps, and the Navy.

During Biden's presidency, the Oval Office's ceiling didn't feature any additional embellishments.
Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
President Joe Biden participates in a Congressional videoconference, Thursday, August 19, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House.

The crown molding on the ceiling matched the cream wallpaper.

Trump added gold trim to the crown molding.
Gold trim in the Oval Office.
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - APRIL 7: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - 'AVI OHAYON / GPO / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) United States President Donald Trump (L) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) in the White House in Washington DC., United States on April 7, 2025. Trump answered press members' questions on the agenda during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office.

The gold embellishments matched the gold curtains, which remained in place from Biden's presidency.

Biden's Oval Office featured a prominent portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. President Biden continued the tradition inviting the newly-elected president to meet at the White House after Trump won the presidential election on November 5.

Biden also hung portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton together to symbolize the benefits of different opinions, as well as portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Trump added additional portraits and numerous gold embellishments to the space.
Donald Trump's gold-filled Oval Office.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. Bin Salman was set for a visit and formal dinner.

Trump added more portraits with decorative frames to create an Oval Office gallery wall. He also replaced Biden's portrait of FDR with one of George Washington and displayed historic gold urns and baskets from the White House collection on the mantle.

Trump also incorporated smaller gold details, such as coasters, branded with his name.
A gold "Trump" coaster.
TOPSHOT - A gold coaster reading "TRUMP" sits on the table in front of US President Donald Trump as he meets with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 12, 2025.

Trump's love of gold decor is well-known. His Trump Tower penthouse in New York City features numerous gilded ceilings, furniture pieces, and artwork. Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, also includes a ballroom covered in gold from floor to ceiling.

Before Trump took office for the second time, the presidential seal on the ceiling of the Oval Office was a subtle adornment.
The Oval Office ceiling.
The Oval Office of the White House February 29, 2008 in Washington, DC.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt added the plaster relief of the presidential seal to the Oval Office during a 1934 White House renovation.

Trump added gilded gold detailing to the design, making it more visible.
The seal of the president on teh ceiling of the Oval Office gilded with gold.
A view of the seal of the president of the United States on the ceiling of the Oval Office as US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025. Musk, who stormed into US politics as President Trump's chainsaw-brandishing sidekick, announced on May 28 that he is leaving his role in US government, intended to reduce federal spending, shortly after his first major break with the President over Trump's signature spending bill.

Both the seal and the stars surrounding it were covered in gold paint.

Biden chose to display President Barack Obama's official White House portrait in the Entrance Hall.
The Bidens stand next to a portrait of Barack Obama at the White House.
A portrait of former US President Barack Obama is seen as US President Joe Biden and US first lady Jill Biden look at candles during an event in the at the Grand Staircase of the White House to mark the one year anniversary of the Uvalde school mass shooting May 24, 2023, in Washington, DC. A teenage gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022.

The hyperrealistic portrait, painted by Robert McCurdy, was unveiled at the White House in 2023.

Trump replaced Obama's portrait with a painting of himself.
A painting of Donald Trump surviving an assassination attempt hanging in the White House.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 15: A painting depicting the Associated Press photograph of the aftermath of the assassination attempt on then U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania hangs in the Entrance Hall of the White House on April 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. The painting has recently replaced the White House portrait of former U.S. President Barack Obama.

Artist Marc Lipp painted a rendering of an Associated Press photo that captured Trump raising his fist in the air following an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The White House Rose Garden previously featured a grass lawn.
Joe Biden in the White House Rose Garden.
US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. Biden urged Americans Thursday to lower the political temperature after Donald Trump's sweeping election win, saying he would ensure a "peaceful and orderly" transition to the Republican.

Before it was used for press conferences and events, first lady Ellen Wilson originally designed the outdoor space as a formal flower garden in 1913.

First lady Melania Trump added a limestone border around the lawn in 2020.

Trump decided to pave over the grass, turning it into an outdoor terrace rebranded as "The Rose Garden Club."
Donald Trump's new White House Rose Garden.
View of the newly-paved Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 9, 2025. US President Donald Trump converted the grass portion of the Rose Garden into a patio space, inspired by his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Trump told Fox News that the grass in the Rose Garden was impractical for large events because it stayed wet when it rained and was too soft for attendees who wore high heels.

"The grass just doesn't work," Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in March 2025.

Workers began transforming the lawn into a patio that June, replacing the grass with concrete and stone tiles. "The Rose Garden Club" was completed in August.

Trump also added statues of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to the Rose Garden.
A statue of Benjamin Franklin in the Rose Garden.
NITED STATES - MARCH 11: A statue of Benjamin Franklin is seen in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The statues are on loan from private citizens, the White House said in March.

Biden and previous presidents occasionally held large events, such as state dinners, in decorative tents on the White House lawn.
Joe Biden hosts a state dinner in a tent on the grounds of the White House.
WASHINGTON, D.C., OCTOBER 25: Invited guests wait for President Joseph Biden and Australian PM Anthony Albanese inside a colorfully decorated tent for the state dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., October 25, 2023.

The East Room, the largest state room in the White House, had a seating capacity of 200 people. When Biden hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in 2023, he held the state dinner in a tent outside the White House to accommodate the larger crowd of over 300.

Trump announced plans to build a state ballroom in July and demolished the East Wing for its construction in October.
Construction on the White House ballroom in March 2026.
Construction on the White House ballroom in March 2026.

The 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which the White House called a "much-needed and exquisite addition," was initially going to have a capacity of 650 people, but that has since been amended to more than 1,000.

It will cost approximately $400 million to construct, a cost that has doubled from its initial $200 million estimate. Trump and other "patriot donors" will foot the bill for the project, the White House said.

On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered construction of the ballroom to stop until Congress approves the project as part of a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Trump said he would appeal the ruling.

"Many things have been built in the White House," the president said in the Oval Office after the ruling. "They haven't gotten congressional approval, especially when the money is being not put up by the taxpayer; the taxpayer's not putting up a dime."

During the Biden administration, the Cabinet Room featured minimal artwork and decor.
Joe Biden in the Cabinet Room.
US President Joe Biden speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 6, 2023.

Located in the West Wing near the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room overlooks the Rose Garden and features a large, oval-shaped mahogany table purchased by President Richard Nixon in 1970, according to Obama's archived White House website.

Seating at the table is assigned in order of when each department was established, with the oldest departments sitting nearest to the president.

Trump added additional paintings to the walls and gold furnishings along the ceiling.
The Cabinet Room with new gold furnishings added by Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 09: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on October 09, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump spoke on the Israel and Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal saying the hostages may be released next week.

Trump chose portraits of past presidents, including George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower, to decorate the Cabinet Room.

"The vaults are where we have a lot of great pictures and artwork," Trump told reporters in July. "And I picked it all myself, I'm very proud of it."

The Cabinet Room featured eagle-shaped wall sconces during Biden's presidency.
Joe Biden in the Cabinet Room.
WASHINGTON, DC May 15, 2024: US President Joe Biden hosting a meeting with the Joint Chiefs and Combatant Commanders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Wednesday May 15, 2024.

The eagle sconces were installed as part of a 2004 refurbishment of the Cabinet Room, which also included a new rug, curtains, and a new paint color.

Trump added 24-karat gold decals to the walls and installed matching gold curtains.
The Cabinet Room decorated with gold furnishings on the walls.
US President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 26, 2025. Also pictured, L/R, are Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

"Some of the highest quality 24 Karat Gold used in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room of the White House," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post in September. "Foreign Leaders, and everyone else, 'freak out' when they see the quality and beauty."

Before Trump took office for a second time, the Lincoln Bathroom featured seafoam-green tile walls and basic furnishings.
The Lincoln Bathroom.
The Lincoln Bathroom.

The Lincoln Bathroom connects to the Lincoln Bedroom on the second floor of the Executive Residence.

Trump renovated the bathroom with Statuary marble and added gold furnishings.
The Lincoln Bathroom after Donald Trump's renovation.
The Lincoln Bathroom after Donald Trump's renovation.

Trump wrote on Truth Social in October that the bathroom was last renovated "in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era."

Read the original article on Business Insider