'Focused on his furniture?': Trump's first executive order after GOP's midterm election drubbing draws mockery from Democrats

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room of the White House as "national monument" and "federal landmark". Those designations would prevent future presidents from tearing down or undoing his redesigns of the spaces, Trump said. This marked the first executive order the president has issued since his Republican Party suffered heavy losses in Tuesday's midterm elections.

'Won't be taken down or destroyed'

"It won’t be able to be taken down or destroyed, touched or anything else. It will be a — it’s called actually a national monument. It’s a federal landmark," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It’ll make it impossible for anybody to ever destroy this incredible space," he added.


But Trump's order has drawn criticism, especially as it came after the grand old party (GOP) was brutally knocked down by the Democrats in the midterm elections. The Democrats have gained majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, thus winning control of the Congress, in what is being seen as a decisive victory.

Analysts say that Trump's unpopular war with Iran and high prices of gas contributed to the Republican losses.

Democrats mock Trump's order

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu ridiculed Trump's move in a post on social media. "The American people delivered a clear and massive repudiation of the harmful MAGA agenda of trump and Republicans. And this is what trump is focused on? His furniture?"

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that Trump was more concerned with preserving his Oval Office changes than addressing his party's midterm losses. "I hope [he] enjoys a stupid ballroom and his gold Oval Office for the next two years," Beshear told theGrio.

Political scientist Norman Ornstein has questioned the legal potency of the executive order. "Of course it is bull**it. Any executive order can be altered by another executive order," Ornstein said in a post on X.

Trump's beautification of White House

Since returning to office in January last year, Trump has started a slew of White House beautification projects, including the demolition of the East Wing for a $600m ballroom and the building of a permanent granite helipad on the South Lawn.

The ballroom project had faced legal challenges, but the Supreme Court eventually allowed the construction to go on.