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The ‘Diet Coke button’ is back: How has Trump redecorated the Oval Office?
Donald Trump has already made his mark on the Oval Office after being sworn in as the 47th president.
Pictures released on Monday reveal how the newly-appointed president decided to decorate his office this time around – from silver eagle figures over the fireplace on the mantel to military flags for each service branch.
Several items that featured in his previous term have also been reinstated, including a Winston Churchill bust, a portrait of former President Andrew Jackson, and the infamous ‘Diet Coke button’.
The Oval Office is the president’s formal working space in the West Wing of the White House, and new presidents usually redecorate the historic room to reflect their own tastes.
While some changes are more cosmetic, for example changes to rugs and curtains, others can signal more about their personality and highlight differences between them and their predecessors.
The artwork used to decorate the office is often selected from the White House’s collection or borrowed from a museum.
Trump and Joe Biden’s teams only has five hours to complete what’s known as the “transfer of families”, which begins when the outgoing and incoming presidents leave to go to the Capitol for the inauguration.
So how has Trump redecorated his office?
The ‘Diet Coke button’
The red ‘Diet Coke button’, which Trump had when he previously held office, has been reinstalled.
The valet button, which is located on the Resolute Desk, is famously used by Trump to order Diet Cokes, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The president has a well-known affinity for the fizzy drink. He has repeatedly shared that he does not drink alcohol given his brother, Fred Trump Jr., died from complications of alcoholism in the early 1980s.
During his inauguration lunch on Monday, Trump was also served a diet coke.
The Winston Churchill bust
The Winston Churchill bust has come and gone over the last few presidency’s, however Trump has brought it back in for a second time.
Both Barack Obama and Biden removed the bust during their time as president.
During the pandemic, Trump compared his leadership style to Winston Churchills’ during World War II.
Portraits
A portrait of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States who rose to power during a wave of populism, hangs in the Oval Office again, the WSJ reported.
After Trump’s first term, Biden replaced it with a portrait of President Benjamin Franklin to signal his interest in science, according to the Washington Post.
Trump has kept the portrait of Franklin and also reinstalled a painting of George Washington.
The portrait of Franklin D Roosevelt – which Biden brought in to symbolise “a moment when the country faced multiple crises,” has been removed, WSJ reported.
Family photos
Framed photos of Trump’s family are located on a small table behind the Resolute Desk, including a portrait of his mother, Mary Anne Trump.
There are also photographs of Trump with his wife, Melania, his children, and grandchildren, according to the WSJ.
Flags
Military flags, which were removed during Biden’s term, have now been placed in the Oval Office.
A new item includes a silver eagle, which has been placed on the mantel of the fireplace.
The gold curtains that Trump had installed during his first term were kept by Biden and therefore remain for Trump’s second term.