President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation establishing the Oval Office, the Outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as a national monument under the Antiquities Act, according to a White House fact sheet^1,2.

Trump told reporters the rooms would not be allowed to be destroyed or ripped down to build something in a slightly different shape^2,3. He called the Oval Office a symbol of the country².

The White House said the Interior secretary must develop a management plan, document alternatives before substantial alteration or demolition, and coordinate with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House¹. CBS News reported the proclamation still allows a president to redecorate, choose furnishings and make ordinary security changes that do not impair historic structure^3,2.

CBS News and Al Jazeera reported that a successor can revise or revoke a monument proclamation, a step Trump has taken with earlier designations^3,4. The White House is already a National Historic Landmark^1,2. ABC News said Trump also told reporters he would send the designation to Congress to be ratified and that major modifications should need Congress⁵. That ratification step is a presidential statement, not a requirement spelled out in the fact sheet^1,5.

The signing was Trump's first official action after Republican losses in Tuesday's midterm elections, CBS News and Al Jazeera reported^3,4. Preservation lawyer Greg Werkheiser told the BBC that furniture and decor remain a president's discretion if permanent architecture is not damaged². What, if anything, Congress will do with the proclamation is unknown⁵.