Donald Trump, like every other president, has made big changes in the White House since beginning his second term. The president has significantly altered the Oval Office, adding elements that make it resemble a version of Versailles. In addition, a new portrait of Trump has been displayed in the White House, replacing Hillary Clinton’s. However, one detail elicits a reaction.
The White House will always play an important—and symbolic—role in US and international politics. The President of the United States’ residence and working environment include more rooms than one can think, as well as places like the Situation Room, which not everyone is permitted to attend. On Inauguration Day, Donald Trump, like all presidents except those who are re-elected, wakes up in the same place and sleeps in the White House.
That day is definitely the busiest of the year at the White House, as one president leaves and the other moves in. The relocation itself takes only five(!) hours, with furniture, personal items, food, favorite snacks, paintings, and everything else to be switched. Finally, one person is responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly on moving day. Joe Biden chose Robert B. Downing as White House Chief Usher, who oversaw the transition from the Bidens to the Trumps in 2025. One may imagine that it is not an easy job.
“Over the last few decades this has become the standard operating procedure,” Matthew Costello, a senior historian at the White House Historical Association, told The Hill of the short turnaround. “It is chaotic, but it’s very coordinated.” Traditionally, on the night before the inauguration, the President-Elect sleeps at Blair House, a 199-room complex spread across four townhouses that faces the White House.
According to Elle Decor, Donald Trump has made changes to the White House. The President-elect now stays at Blair House, a 119-room complex of four connected townhouses on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the night before his inauguration. At that point, everything is ready for the big move, and according to Kate Andersen Brower, author of The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House, the planning for moving day begins as soon as the individual in question is formally nominated as a presidential cabinet member.
In an interview with ABC, Brower revealed that the usher usually contacts the nominee’s “inner circle” to learn about their preferences, such as bedding and food, as well as other essentials, to make planning easier. However, given that Donald Trump is serving his second term, things have been rather easy for him. “There’s been a four-year break, but he’ll be back, and they will know exactly what he wants stocked,” Brower told the news outlet. “I mean, they know everything, so that makes it a lot easier for the staff.”
Donald Trump has been known to make significant changes in the Oval Office during his presidency. Sure, portraits and furniture are new, but what really caught people’s attention was something else: gold. Detail of the latest Donald Trump artwork in the White House. CNN simply stated, “There is gold everywhere.” “New gold vermeil figurines on the mantle and medallions on the fireplace, gold eagles on the side tables, gilded Rococo mirrors on the doors, and, nestled in the pediments above the doorways, diminutive gold cherubs shipped in from Mar-a-Lago. “Even the remote control for the television down the hall is wrapped in gilt,” the website stated.
While the White House was ready for Trump in January, that does not mean that fresh additions can be added all year. While additions might be made in one of the 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms over the six floors at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, now, one has been made on a prominent wall in the East Wing. Trump replaced Hillary Clinton’s official portrait with that of former Republican First Lady Patricia Nixon. Between them, a new Trump image with the American flag has been inserted.
However, Trump’s portrait is not created using Photoshop. Fans who were paying attention saw that the painting was signed “MAGA Angelo,” according to People Magazine. He has previously done similar images of Melania and Ronald Reagan. While it surely is a portrait that stands out at the White House next to all “classic” paintings, Trump finds it has found a great home.