Overview
- During a filmed walk‑through with Laura Ingraham, President Trump declared the décor was “real gold” and “not Home Depot,” a clip that quickly spread across social platforms.
- Online sleuths highlighted visual matches between Oval Office appliqués and a $58 polyurethane onlay sold by Ekena Millwork through retailers, and the manufacturer said the pieces “could be our onlays.”
- A White House spokesperson said the finishes are high‑quality gold and that Trump is paying for them, and Ingraham captioned her post asserting the pieces are “REAL gold.”
- Home Depot product pages for the Ekena onlay were inundated with parody reviews referencing the Oval Office, reflecting wider mockery and political criticism over optics during economic strain and SNAP funding fights.
- The décor flap unfolds alongside a larger renovation program that includes a paved Rose Garden and an East Wing ballroom the White House says is donor‑funded, with Trump also drawing attention for brass‑versus‑bronze misstatements about new signage.