President Donald Trump gives Oval Office a sparkling makeover as he re-installs golden drapes, ditches Obama’s rug and puts Churchill bust back on display
Barack Obama's crimson curtains and giant "quote rug" are gone but Trump's decided to keep the Resolute Desk
IT'S out with the old and in with the new at the Oval Office as President Donald Trump has already given the White House a gilded makeover.
Barack Obama's crimson curtains and giant "quote rug" are gone and replaced with golden drapes while the bust of Winston Churchill was reinstated.
He invited reporters into his office on Friday evening for the first time since his inauguration at noon and the changes were already in place.
Donald Trump was snapped signing an executive order and other paperwork in his first major acts as president.
But it was clear his staff had been busy in the previous few hours carrying out the redecorating overhaul.
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Obama's circular "quote rug", featuring quotes attributed to former presidents lining the perimeter was notably replaced by a golden rug with garland edges that appeared to be the same design as the "sunburst" rug George W. Bush had when he was president.
The curtains, crimson only hours before, are gold now, too.
Some of the furniture appeared to be different, although Trump kept the Resolute Desk that presidents have used for decades.
A famed Winston Churchill bust, long a thorn in Obama's side, was back.
Obama had been criticised for removing the bust depicting the beloved British prime minister.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson once asserted Obama had returned the bust to the British Embassy in a snub to the close U.S. ally.
But Obama said he'd merely moved it to make room for a bust of Martin Luther King Jr, which remained in the office on Friday.
Obama said Churchill's figure was on display prominently outside his private office, where he could see it every day.
Trump spokesman Sean Spicer tweeted a photo of it sitting on a small wooden desk in the Oval Office, and said White House chief of staff Reince Priebus had taken the photo.
A president has wide latitude to decorate his office and the executive mansion as he sees fit.
Congress generally approves funds to replace ageing furnishings and keep the building looking sharp.
A president can also use his own funds on furnishings if he desires.
Most presidents use rugs and furnishings already in the White House collection, according to the White House Historical Association.
The collection also has an extensive array of art, and presidents often borrow art from museums or galleries.
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