Could photos of Trumpโs Oval Office explain why his casino empire collapsed?
Some people think so, and the internet canโt stop talking about it.
Love him or hate him, Donald Trumpโs history as a businessman has always made headlines. According to Trump himself, heโs been a wildly successful real estate mogul โ but not everyone agrees on that.
Long before his White House days, Trump made his first appearance on The Forbes 400 list in 1982, sharing a $200 million fortune with his father, Fred. (Trump, of course, insisted their net worth was actually closer to $500 million.)
Over the next decade, he built a casino empire along Atlantic Cityโs iconic boardwalk, opening the Trump Plaza Hotel in 1984, Trumpโs Castle โ later renamed Trump Marina โ a year later, and finally the colossal Trump Taj Mahal Casino in 1990.
But the empire didnโt last forever. Trump Entertainment Resorts filed for bankruptcy not once, not twice, but three times between 2004 and 2014.
In 2021, the notorious Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, one of the crown jewels of his Atlantic City ventures, was finally imploded.
Fast forward, and Trump, now the 47th president of the United States, has left his unmistakable mark on the White House, most notably in the Oval Office.
For anyone whoโs watched Trumpโs press conferences, itโs no secret โ the room is absolutely drenched in gold. During a March tour of the Oval Office with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump explained that the room โneeded a little lifeโ when discussing the gold details.
โThroughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, and theyโve never been able to do it,โ Trump told Ingraham. โYouโve never been able to match gold with gold paint, thatโs why itโs gold,โ he added.
From fixtures and fittings to ornaments, picture frames, and even the ceiling, the space is a far cry from Joe Bidenโs more subdued, all-white office.
โYou see the way this is looking nice? I canโt tell you how much that gold costs โ a lot of money. Thereโs nothing like gold, and thereโs nothing like solid gold,โ Trump said recently, pointing out his favorite color dominates the decor.
Nowadays, the well-known office is packed with memorabilia. On the fireplace, trophies sit amid gold-plated trinkets โ including a replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy, after Trumpโs request to keep the real one was denied.
Some say it gives off โHarry Potter vault in Gringottsโ vibes.
A White House spokesperson told Fox News that the gold used in Trumpโs Oval Office โis of the highest quality,โ but declined to share any further specifics. They also confirmed that Trump personally footed the bill for the gold accents, though it remains unclear exactly how much gold was added or how much he spent.
Plans are also in motion to revamp the East Wing with a $200 million ballroom, and the Rose Gardenโs signature green center has been partially paved over. Critics, however, argue that his taste in decor says a lot about his history with bankruptcies.
Sharing before-and-after photos of the Oval Office, podcaster Brian Allen tweeted:
โNot hard to see how he bankrupted so many casinos. These are the same rooms btw.โ
Other commenters agreed, comparing the lavish touches to over-the-top retail theatrics:
โReverent dignity replaced with gaudy insecurity,โ wrote one.
Another added: โCountless critical meetings have been held there. It is a place of work, not a leisure palace or a gaudy casino.โ
A third quipped: โLooks like a fire sale at Poundland.โ
Some, however, offered a milder defense of the makeover. โIโm sorry but the picture on the left looks like it was taken in a funeral home. I do think he did go a little overboard on the gold but it was an improvement,โ one user noted.
Trump himself defended the changes, insisting the previous decor was far from suitable. He told reporters the Oval Office was โdirtyโ when he moved in, and one of the first things he did was swap out the chair behind the Resolute Desk that Joe Biden had used.
โWhen we took it over, it was dirty, not clean,โ he said. โI immediately changed the chair and had this beautiful desk renovatedโฆ This was not appropriate for the Oval Office when I took over.โ
Love it or hate it, Trumpโs gold-soaked Oval Office is impossible to ignore.
Some say itโs a window into his personality, his flair for the dramatic โ and maybe even a hint at why his casinos went under. But what do you think: a bold display of style, or a sign of the same over-the-top taste that sank his casino empire?
