“Gold has always been tied to status, legacy, and a sense of importance, so using it so heavily in a political space sends a pretty clear message,” said Andrew Shoukry, an interior designer and founder of Shouk House. “It’s meant to feel powerful the moment you walk in. Metallic finishes feel formal and almost theatrical, while heavy fabrics and ornate details add a sense of permanence.”
That theatricality becomes even more striking in a place as symbolically important as the Oval Office.
“Covering its neoclassical detailing with gold appliqués and props turns it into a set, not a workspace,” Boardman said. “The addition of red ropes, the staged lighting, it all reads more like a soundstage than the People’s House.”
She likened the effect to other environments designed to project personal power.
“Casinos use high-gloss gold to create a sense of spectacle, wealth and heightened reality, a place where you’re meant to feel like anything can happen,” Boardman said.
Wellington also pointed to the inherently performative quality of Trump’s approach.
“There’s a lot of performativeness,” he said. “Trump can hold meetings with a foreign leader in front of the mantle that he’s decorated with all the gold trappings, and it’s the backdrop for its performance of a successful businessman who is now president.”
He added that the space carries faint echoes of the “Queen of Versailles” documentary, which followed Florida socialite Jackie Siegel and her quest to build a megamansion inspired by Louis XIV.
“The design speaks volumes about Trump’s personality,” Warren said. “He likes to be the center of attention, and the new gold-heavy Oval Office design is certainly grabbing the headlines.”
Designer and artist Isabella Segalovich similarly noted the attention-grabbing aspect of the space.
“From a pure aesthetic standpoint, the amount of one particular gold shade essentially chokes space in the room, and doesn’t allow anything else in space to breathe,” she said. “Like so many other things Trump does, it’s a demand for our attention.”
But she also sees something else at play.
“It’s important to note that Trump is something of a troll,” Segalovich said. “I think there’s a non-zero chance that he revels in the waves of outrage that come from choices like pouring concrete over the Rose Garden and demolishing the East Wing of the White House. ‘Owning the libs,’ after all, is a part of his brand as much as red hats and cheap gold decals.”
There’s a deeper symbolic impact.
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