Oval Office before and after pictures leave people in disbelief at ‘absurd’ transformation

Since US president Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, he's set about making plenty of changes in America.

Legislation aside, there's been a whole host of renovations inside the White House too, including his changes to the historic rose garden, switching up a portrait of Barack Obama in the Grand Foyer of the East Wing and Trump's decision to adorn much of the residence in gold.

While there have been a number of changes in the White House over the last nine months, people are just starting to notice some of the more obvious differences, such as how the Oval Office looks now, in comparison to how it was decorated in 2022.

Posting a before and after on Reddit, which compared the Oval Office in 2022 to the Oval Office in 2025, people were pretty shocked by the differences.

The walls have been adorned by a series of portraits, all framed in gold, meanwhile a golden trim lines the ceiling, and the fireplace can be seen decorated with golden urns from the White House collection.

Biden with Zelenskyy in 2022 (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Oval Office in 2022 (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

There are also a number of other golden details and embellishments, including coasters featuring Trump's name.

It's no secret that Trump favours golden decor, with reports that his Trump Tower penthouse is also adorned with plenty of gold furnishings.

People have pretty mixed views on the changes, with one person writing on Reddit: "It is actually absurd how bad this looks.

People have had a mixed response to the changes (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

"Like if you told AI to make the s**ttiest version of the Oval Office they would give you this exact picture without Zelenskyy."

While another said: "It looks like they raided every Hobby Lobby within 25 miles for any gold colored decorations they could find and hung it on the wall."

Trump and Zelenskyy on Monday (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump has introduced plenty of gold decor (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

And a third said: "Garish gold everywhere, tonal patterned wallpaper, flags everywhere, trophies for decor, overly ornate gold frames on all of the portraits, badly done gold leaf detail on the millwork, gold patterned fabric on the chairs, over done with decor and details."

Trump's team first announced at the end of last month that a staggering $200 million (£150m) would be plied into the construction of a brand new ballroom.

One section of the announcement read: "The White House is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the world, yet the White House is currently unable to host major functions honouring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance."

The Oval Office looks notably different (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

According to CNN, the latest additions came just weeks after Trump began adding 'gold piece after gold piece' to sections of the residence, 'including tiny gold cherubs over the doorway'.

Meanwhile, people were left shocked when Trump allegedly ordered the official portraits of three former US presidents to be moved to less prominent positions in the White House.

Trump added gold furnishings (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images/Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Obama’s portrait, unveiled in September 2022, was painted by Robert McCurdy and was originally hung in the White House entryway.

Portraits of George W. Bush and his father George H. W. Bush were also banished to less noticeable locations.

Now, in the Grand Foyer, a portrait of Trump surviving an assassination attempt in July 2024 can be seen instead.