White House Staff Prevented Trump’s Impossible Oval Office Change
According to a new book by Republican strategist Scott Jennings, White House staff had to intervene to prevent President Trump from installing a chandelier in the Oval Office because the ceiling could not support its weight. Jennings recounts that Trump was intent on redecorating the Oval Office and making it his own, as he did with the rest of the government. The book frames this incident as part of a larger trend of Trump’s aesthetic changes, which included heavy gilding, personal iconography, and the construction of a ballroom. These interior design choices mirror his approach to governing, adding new elements at a rapid pace.