Inside Trump’s Oval Office with family snaps & return of famous ‘Diet Coke button’…& the secret messages hidden in decor
DONALD Trump’s famous Diet Coke button has returned to the White House for a second time along with a host of fascinating new additions.
The Oval Office has undergone a huge revamp with Trump’s triumphant return after a four-year hiatus – with his decor choices leaving behind a trail of hidden messages.
The grand office has been redecorated since Joe Biden was sent packing to cater to Trump’s particular taste.
Portraits of several US political powerhouses have now returned to adorn the walls.
The proud Republican, 78, has even brought back the iconic statue of the head of Winston Churchill.
Elsewhere, new silver eagle figures sit over the fireplace on the mantel.
The raft of changes even saw the Oval Office rug switched out, a number of military flags drafted back in plus a new load of photos of Trump and his family placed on a desk.
Biden and Trump’s offices are drastically different apart from the golden curtains, a few of the same portraits and the historic Resolute Desk.
White House staff are said to have even started to move in Trump’s glitzy new decorations whilst Biden was still lingering around the building.
The Oval Office is widely considered to be the most powerful room in America as it is where the president spends much of their time deliberating over policies and speaking to fellow global leaders.
Trump made his triumphant return on Monday evening shortly after he was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
He was pictured sitting at the iconic giant desk which has been a centerpiece since 1880.
The Republican was seen signing a huge number of executive orders as he looks to build his perfect America on the desk yesterday.
Trump announced after his first visit back to the historic room: “We love the Oval Office.
“The wars start and end there. Everything starts and ends at the Oval Office.”
DIET COKE BUTTON
Trump first installed the handy device in the Oval Office during his first term but it was quickly scrapped under Joe Biden in 2021.
Anytime the newly-elected president pushes the small red button it alerts his staff to his desire to sip on a diet soda.
Back in 2017, Trump even joked about how when he first asked for it to be installed some people were nervy about its true meaning – with sweeping theories even claiming it may be a nuclear button.
The reality was later revealed with the little button simply being used to cater for Trump’s sweet tooth.
Images of the revamped Oval Office show it has now changed to be hidden inside a wooden box and no longer appears to be red.
It was first spotted sat on Trump’s resolute desk after his inauguration ceremony on Monday, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Trump’s love for Diet Coke has constantly reemerged during his political career.
Former White House chef Andre Rush says the president often has several across his busy days working.
Fascinating behind-the-scenes from Trump’s inauguration meal on Monday even showed how when all his fellow family, friends and colleagues sipped on celebratory champagne he was given a Diet Coke.
A waitress came over to serve Trump up his soda in a glass as soon as the luncheon got underway.
FAMOUS FACES
Each incoming president is allowed to carefully choose a number of artefacts and portraits to decorate the all-important office.
Trump’s picks all follow a pattern of his great admiration for strong, powerful and influential leaders who left their marks on the world.
Several former US presidents and key figures in history adorn the walls this time around with many being returned to the office since Trump left in 2017.
The iconic Resolute Desk used by every president in recent memory faces three of these grand and gold framed portraits.
George Washington is placed front and centre over the fireplace with America’s first Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and third president Thomas Jefferson sat on either side.
Another new and fascinating piece of history following Trump back into the Oval Office is the bust of Winston Churchill.
It came with the Republican in his first term and has been placed once again next to the fireplace.
Trump has always been fond of powerful Brits from Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family plus the great rise of Churchill around World War Two.
Biden moved the bust out of the office in 2021 – he instead added in a similar style head belonging to labour leader Cesar Chavez.
The ageing ex-president also favoured a carving of Harry Truman.
The pair did both agree on keeping the bust of Martin Luther King Jr on display.
A picture of Andrew Jackson also sits prominently next to one of the clean bookshelves with Trump said to be a big fan of Jackson’s presidential reign.
Don had a similar version hanging on the wall in his first term but it was reportedly on loan from the US Naval Academy.
His latest portrait of the great leader is believed to directly come from the White House art collection.
Just underneath it is famed “Bronco Buster” sculpture by Frederic Remington.
It is meant to symbolise determination and a strong resolve – traits President Trump says he heavily connects with.
The portrait of Benjamin Franklin also managed to survive both rival political foes.
Franklin sits on the other side of the office next to the desk and in parallel to the final former president which Trump sees in himself – Abraham Lincoln.
MAKING CHANGES
Donald Trump has become famous for his vast differences to normal politicians due to his background as a TV celebrity and business mogul.
This changing of tradition has continued into his design of the Oval Office with Trump opting to go back to the rug he used in 2016 despite it being years since it was last used.
Biden brought in a dark blue rug to lay across the middle of the room when he entered office and displaced Trump.
But by the time the Republican returned on Monday afternoon it had been switched out with a beige coloured one with more neutral tones.
Pieces of the Resolute Desk even had to be disassembled so the rug could be placed underneath it, White House aides revealed.
The other major changes has seen new silver eagle figures added around the historic room.
The eagle is the national animal of the US and once again highlights the Don’s patriotism and his unwavering love for his country.
Pictures of Trump and his loved ones have also returned and replaced those of Biden.
They sit on the left hand side of the table behind the main desk.
On the right is a collection of Challenge coins which all appear to have a significance to Trump and his American lifestyle.
This desire to be seen as a true American is again represented by five separate military flags stood in the office.
Trump has added more than seen under Biden with them ranging from the US flag, the coat of arms and the Army and Marines emblems.
Trump's executive orders
By Patrick Harrington, Foreign News Reporter
DONALD Trump signed a raft of executive orders within hours of returning to the presidency – noted for their breadth across a range of policy areas.
His swift action made it clear that he intends to follow through on his campaign promise to enact a sweeping conservative agenda.
He dramatically signed off on the first lot during his rally at the Capitol One Arena, and then returned to the Oval Office to approve even more.
Here are some of the most significant executive orders ushered through by President Trump in his first few hours of leadership:
- January 6 pardons: Trump formally pardoned around 1,500 of the protesters charged following the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The order also cut short the sentences of 14 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers organisations.
- Paris climate agreement: Trump has withdrawn the US from this climate treaty – as he did in his first presidency before it was reversed by Biden. He also dismantled a Biden law that said half of all new vehicles sold must be electric by 2030.
- Oil drilling: Trump repealed a 2023 Biden memo that barred oil drilling in 16 million acres of the Arctic. He declared a national energy emergency and promised to drill for the “liquid gold” under American soil.
- Immigration: Trump declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border due to the rate of illegal migration. He also signed a decree tackling birthright citizenship, and designated criminal cartels as terrorist groups.
- Foreign policy: Trump temporarily suspended all US foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending review. He removed sanctions on Jewish settlers, and reversed Biden’s last-minute decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorsim.
- Free speech: Trump signed an order to end “government censorship” of social media, and one to end the “weaponisation” of government against political opponents.
- Death penalty: Trump signed a sweeping order on execution, directing the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to ensure states have enough supplies of lethal injections.
- TikTok: Trump signed an executive order specifically for keep the Chinese-owned social media platform operating for at least 75 days. He said: “I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok.”
- Gender: Trump decreed that the federal government will recognise only two sexes, and vowed to end “wasteful” government diversity programs.
- World Health Organisation: Trump signed-off on his intention to pull the US from the WHO, which he claims “continued to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States”.
- Government workers: federal staff were ordered to return to working in the office five days a week, alongside a federal hiring freeze (other than in the military) and an order to hold former government officials “accountable for election interference”.