Reagan Is Back in Style but Not in Spirit
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The Oval Office, a room famous for its distinct ovum—er, oval—shape, has become synonymous with American democracy and the president himself. It’s no wonder that each executive has sought to personalize their backdrop.
The room has been the main executive office since President William Howard Taft ordered a southward extension of the West Wing in 1909. The expansion was meant to mimic the shape of the Blue Room, the White House’s other oval-shaped room, which incorporated a semicircle design overseen by President George Washington. Washington was the only president to never live in the White House, but his preference for oval-shaped rooms to receive guests with presidential drama and formality has become customary.
Administrations succeeding Taft’s have since altered the Oval Office’s decor to suit each president’s preferences. Shortly after returning to the White House for his second term, President Donald Trump removed the dark blue Clinton-era rug brought out of retirement by Joe Biden and replaced it with the lighter, egg-colored rug used by Ronald Reagan.
Since Trump entered the world of politics, he has fancied himself a successor of Reagan and his policies. But unlike when he unveiled the Reagan rug at the beginning of his first term, there’s a lot more evidence now that Trump and Reagan share little else in common.
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