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New Gold 'Oval Office' Sign Draws Ridicule as Renovation Scrutiny Grows

The gold-script label has become a shorthand for mounting oversight over donor-funded renovations.

Temproary signage reading "The Oval Office" is displayed next to an entrance to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 5, 2025.
Framed portraits of U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama flank an image of former U.S. President Joe Biden's signature and an autopen along "The Presidential Walk of Fame" on the wall of the colonnade outside of the Oval Office at the White House on Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Trump has accused the previous administration of forging Biden's signature with an autopen due to "cognitive decline."
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 4: The American flag is flown at half-staff at the White House on November 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has passed away at 84 years old. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • CNN’s Kaitlan Collins photographed a gold cursive “The Oval Office” sign beside the Oval Office door near the Rose Garden on Nov. 5.
  • Close-up images indicate the lettering is a temporary paper or decal mock-up rather than a permanent installation.
  • A White House spokesman defended the update as part of efforts to make the complex “beautiful” and restore “the glory it deserves.”
  • The sign prompted widespread online mockery and political jabs, notably California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s edited “Live, Laugh, LOSE” version.
  • The episode highlights broader changes under President Trump, including East Wing demolition for a privately funded ~90,000-square-foot ballroom and other gold-accented updates, which critics say warrant ethics, preservation and timing scrutiny during a prolonged shutdown affecting SNAP.