Trump moves to protect Oval Office from future changes

President Donald Trump has signed an order aimed at stopping future presidents from changing the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room next to it. He said the two rooms would be treated as national monuments, so later occupants of the White House could not alter or remove them.

Trump signed the order on Thursday, two days after his Republican Party lost control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to the Democrats in the midterm elections. He told reporters the rooms would be protected: "It won't be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched, or anything else."

Since returning to office last year, Trump has redecorated the Oval Office with gold fittings. The order, as he described it, would also cover the Cabinet Room.

What the order means

Under the plan, future presidents would be barred from carrying out building work in the two rooms.

The announcement has raised questions about whether Trump plans more changes to the West Wing. He had earlier suggested he might move reporters out of the White House briefing room, which sits close to the Oval Office.

Major US television networks did not carry the signing live. The White House has left CNN out of the rotating group of outlets that cover presidential events.

Trump, 80, did refer to the election result. He placed a red baseball cap with the word "veto" on the Resolute Desk in front of him. He has threatened to use his presidential powers to block laws backed by the Democrats, though he has also said he is willing to work with the opposition party.

Critics say the president has focused on building and renovation projects in Washington rather than on voters' concerns. They point to the war in Iran and the rising cost of living, which featured heavily in the campaigns before Tuesday's vote.

A day after the results, Trump largely avoided discussing the outcome and instead showed off work on a new White House ballroom.