Trump's Gilded White House, $200M Ballroom Underway

President Trump posted a Truth Social video boasting he redecorated the Oval Office and Cabinet Room with “24 Karat Gold,” saying visiting foreign leaders “freak out” at the display. Video and reporting show dozens of gold medallions and moldings allegedly installed with help from his personal “gold guy,” Mar‑a‑Lago cabinetmaker John Icart, who was reportedly flown to Washington on Air Force One; a White House spokesperson says Trump purchased the items personally. Critics and social media users mocked the flourish as gaudy and tone‑deaf, noting its resemblance to inexpensive retail trim and the timing amid economic strain. The gilding is one element of wider changes that include paving the Rose Garden, adding a “Presidential Walk of Fame,” and expanding the number of presidential portraits. The White House has begun construction on a corporately funded ballroom estimated at roughly $200 million, a move supporters call symbolic of a new “golden age” while opponents view it as an extravagant personalization of the office.