President Trump’s redecorated Oval Office includes a portrait of Benjamin Franklin and a fresh Andrew Jackson painting, part of an Inauguration Day overhaul of the most exclusive office space in America. A tray of pens was ready on the Resolute Desk for Trump to sign executive orders. A valet button that Trump famously used to order Diet Cokes was set up and ready to go. The Oval Office is perhaps the most iconic setting in the White House, designed to convey the grandeur and the might of the presidency to the world. It is the setting for meetings with foreign heads of state, brass tacks talks with congressional leaders and where presidents address the nation in particularly historic moments. Unlike in other working meeting rooms in the White House complex, presidents tend to personalize the office, selecting art and artifacts that emphasize their values and the goals of their administration. When each new president takes power, their freshly made-over office serves as a reminder of the change in administrations. Military flags for each service branch have been put back in the Oval Office—they were removed during Biden’s term. There are also new silver eagle figures over the fireplace on the mantel. Framed photos of members of Trump’s family sit on a small table near the Resolute Desk. Like four years ago, a portrait of George Washington now hangs over the fireplace, which is flanked by portraits of Alexander Hamilton, the country’s first Treasury secretary, and Thomas Jefferson, the country’s third president. Other presidents, including Ronald Reagan, have hung Jackson’s likeness in their Oval Offices. But Trump is particularly fond of Jackson, who also rose to power on a populist, antiestablishment wave and then remade his party into his own image. 📷: Shuran Huang for WSJ
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