Overview

• In a new Truth Social video, the president displayed gold medallions and claimed the Oval Office and Cabinet Room feature “some of the highest quality 24 Karat Gold,” saying foreign leaders “freak out.”
• A White House spokesperson reiterated that the president personally paid for the work and described the materials as “of the highest quality.”
• Internet sleuths pointed to lookalikes sold as inexpensive appliqués online, raising questions about authenticity that remain disputed and unverified.
• The boast drew criticism for its timing following a deadly Michigan church shooting and ongoing cost-of-living complaints, with even Fox News panelists labeling the look “tacky” or out of step.
• The makeover includes gold trim, gilded cherubs, trophies and named coasters, nearly 20 presidential portraits, and work by Mar-a-Lago craftsman John Icart, and it sits alongside larger projects such as a reported $200 million ballroom already under construction.