Trump Proclaims Oval Office, Outer Oval and Cabinet Room a National Monument

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on 5 November establishing the Oval Office as a national monument. The proclamation covers the Oval Office itself (Room 110), the Outer Oval Office (Rooms 106 and 108) and the Cabinet Room (Room 105). It was issued under section 320301 of title 54 of the United States Code, the Antiquities Act.

The proclamation states that the boundaries represent the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of historic interest. It directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to manage the monument in a manner that protects its historic character, architectural integrity and association with the Presidency. The Secretary is to develop a management plan that prioritizes preservation, requires documentation and review of alternatives before any substantial alteration or demolition, and ensures that proposed changes are consistent with the space’s national significance. The Secretary must also coordinate with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House.

The text notes that the Oval Office has served as the principal working office of the President for almost a century and has witnessed decisions of national and international consequence. It says the action is in the public interest to preserve the rooms. Nothing in the proclamation alters existing statutory exemptions applicable to the White House under the National Historic Preservation Act or diminishes Congress’s authority over federal property.

The White House released a fact sheet the same day. It states that the proclamation establishes the three spaces as the Oval Office National Monument and directs the Interior Department to protect the historic character of the rooms. The fact sheet describes the Oval Office as one of the most recognizable spaces in the country.

The proclamation was signed on the fifth day of November in the year 2026, the 251st year of American independence. It comes after public discussion of changes made to the Oval Office during the current administration. The designation places the rooms under a management regime that requires review before major alterations. The National Park Service will administer the monument while the spaces remain in active use by the President.

No further details on the management plan have been released. The proclamation does not transfer ownership or remove the rooms from White House operations. It creates a formal preservation overlay on spaces that have long been treated as historically significant but had not previously been designated a national monument. The Interior Secretary is responsible for implementing the requirements in coordination with existing White House advisory bodies.

The action uses the Antiquities Act, which allows the President to proclaim national monuments on federal land. The White House rooms are federal property. The proclamation identifies the specific rooms by number and limits the monument to those spaces. Future alterations will require the documentation and alternatives review described in the text.