WASHINGTON — President  is putting his own “touches†on the White House with new flagpoles, new artwork, an overhaul of the Oval Office decor and possibly paving over the lawn in the Kennedy-era Rose Garden.
Trump, a former real estate developer and hotelier, said Wednesday he'll add two “beautiful†flagpoles to the grounds to fly the American flag in about a week.
The Republican president recently hung new artworks featuring himself, including a rendering of him with his fist raised after last year's attempted assassination in Pennsylvania. He redecorated the Oval Office by adding portraits of all of his predecessors, a wall-mounted copy of the Declaration of Independence that is shielded by dark drapes and many golden accents.
All families granted the privilege of living in the White House try to find ways to leave their mark on the property, and Trump isn't any different.
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Near the end of his first term, he and first lady Melania Trump unveiled a  on the south grounds.  is still producing.
Trump is a “real estate developer at heart†and is always looking to improve the White House, spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday.
President Donald Trump, left, speaks with Dale Haney, head White House grounds keeper, right, and others Wednesday about a new flagpole on the North Lawn of the White House in Washington.
New flag poles
Earlier Wednesday, Trump took an impromptu stroll outside toward the Pennsylvania Avenue fence with head groundskeeper Dale Haney and other staff members.
Asked what he was doing, Trump said he was scoping out a location for a flagpole.
He told reporters afterward that he's installing two “beautiful†flagpoles on the grounds because “they've needed flagpoles for 200 years.†He said the poles would be “paid for by Trump" and could be installed as soon as next week.
The American and POW/MIA flags fly on the roof of the White House every day. Trump had them .
A replica of the Declaration of Independence is seen April 18Â during a swearing in ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
Oval Office overhaul
Trump pledged in his  to preside over a “golden age of America.†He appears to have ushered it first into an Oval Office he redecorated by adding golden accents to the fireplace, doorway arches, walls and other areas of the room.
“I really must say the Oval Office has never looked better," Paul Atkins, the new Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, said Tuesday after his ceremonial swearing-in there. “One could really describe it as glistening, and I’ve heard stories about it. It’s true. It’s the touch of a confident president, leading with optimism towards an American golden age.â€
Every president adjusts the office decor to their liking, often with new furniture, rugs, draperies and other items. Some hire decorators. Former President Joe Biden had one of his brothers handle it.
Trump seems to have directed the process himself.
“I've done some ‘Trump touches’ to the Oval Office,†he told the championship  when he invited them for a tour after he hosted the players and coaches last week. “It's a little nicer than it used to be, I think.â€
A painting of President Donald Trump hangs April 15 in the Cross Hall at the White House in Washington.
New Trump art
Earlier this month, Trump  depicting a moment after last summer's , bumping the official portrait of former President Barack Obama to another wall in the foyer.
The new painting was donated by Andrew Pollock, who lost his daughter Meadow in the 2018 mass shooting at  in Parkland, Florida.
Another image of Trump now hangs on the ground floor between the official portraits of former first ladies Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton.
Revealed in a social media post by first-year Rep. , a Florida Republican, the image of Trump features the red, white and blue of an American flag superimposed over the president’s headshot on a black background.
President Donald Trump, left, talks with Dale Haney, head White House groundskeeper, right, as he stands Wednesday on the North Lawn of the White House in Washington.
Rose Garden
Trump also wants to pave over the lawn in the famous Rose Garden, created during the administration of  after he was inspired by gardens he saw during a 1961 state visit to France.
Presidents long used the space for everything from big announcements to Thanksgiving turkey pardon ceremonies.
He shared his plan with Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham as he showed her the Oval Office while taping an interview in March. The Rose Garden is just outside and Trump complained about the lawn always being “soaking wet†and inconveniencing “the women with the high heels.â€
“The grass just, it doesn’t work,†Trump told Ingraham, adding that it would be covered with “gorgeous stone.â€
Ingraham asked if the roses would stay. Trump said they would.
“It’s a rose garden. All of this stays,†he said, explaining that only the lawn would be affected.
In 2020, , with the most visually striking change being the addition of a 3-foot-wide limestone walking path bordering the central lawn. Less noticeable alterations included improved drainage and infrastructure, and accessibility for people with disabilities. Audiovisual and broadcasting fixes also were made.
Photos: A look back at past White House Easter egg rolls
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt surrounded by Secret Service agents and White House police at the Annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House, March 25, 1940. (AP Photo)
All dressed up for the Easter egg roll on the lawn of the White House in Washington, Hazel Johnson, 2, left, and her sister Bunny, 4, wear Dutch costumes complete with wooden clogs, April 7, 1953. Their gaily decorated big basket wheelbarrow was made by their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred W. Johansen of Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges)
Children participate at the White House annual Easter egg roll in Washington, April 19, 1954. Children were admitted freely, and adults only if accompanied by children. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges)
This is egg rolling day on the White House grounds, but these youngsters, at the urging of photographers, find throwing the eggs is more fun, April 2, 1956. There really isn't a good hill to roll eggs and most of the visitors this Easter Monday just stand around or sit on the grass in the sunshine. (AP Photo/William J. Smith)
Patricia Webber, left, and her twin, Paula, of Sumter, S.C., National Easter Seal twins, have a gay time visiting President John Kennedy at the White House on March 2, 1961 in Washington. They gave the President a sheet of seals and Easter baskets for his children. From left are Seal Chairman Art Linkletter; Kennedy; Joseph J. Foss, President of the Society for crippled Children and Adults. (AP Photo/HWG)
Tricia Nixon walks the White House grounds March 27, 1970 with a couple of Springtime friends - circus clown Bobby Kay and the Easter Bunny, a White House staffer who prefers to remain anonymous. (AP Photo/Henry Burroughs)
President Jimmy Carter greets the Easter Bunny prior to his departure for a weekend at Camp David in Washington March 22, 1978. Inside the rabbit suit is Louise Dolan, who wore the suit to the departure as a gag. Mrs Rosalynn Carter is speaking to Suzy Kerr who works with Dolan in the White House. (AP Photo/Jeff Taylor)
President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn mingle with a crowd during the Annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 6, 1980. The president came out to shake hands after a meeting with National Security Council in which he is reported, by a high Administration official, to have decided to ask all Iranian diplomats to leave the U.S. Across the street from the White House Iranian students demonstrated against the president and the U.S. policies toward Iran. (AP Photo)
U.S. Vice President George H. Bush greeted by cartoon characters at the start of the annual Easter egg roll on the White House, April 8, 1985 in Washington. (AP Photo)
Vice-President George Bush, attends the annual White House Easter Egg roll, Monday, April 20, 1987 in Washington on the South Lawn of the White House. Some 37,000 people attended the 109th Easter Egg roll. Others unidentified. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Vice-President George Bush, his wife Barbara with six-year-old twin granddaughter Jenna, left, and Barbara and grandson Pierce, 2, behind, stand on the White House grounds, Monday, April 4, 1988 in Washington with the Easter Bunny during the annual Easter Egg Roll. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi)
U.S. President George H. Bush and his granddaughter, Marshall, are greeted by a couple of oversized bunnies and several hundred children during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House South lawn, Monday, April 16, 1990 in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi)
President Bill Clinton greets some of the hundreds of youngsters that crowded the White House lawn for the annual Easter egg roll in Washington on April 12, 1993. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma)
President Bill Clinton handles the starting whistling and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton handles cheer leading chores during the annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn in Washington, April 12, 1993. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with an Easter bunny, watch over the opening of the annual White House Easter egg roll at the White House in Washington, April 17, 1995. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Children in rain ponchos brave the pouring rain to take part in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday March 28, 2005, at the White House. Officials canceled event later due to inclement weather. President Hayes officially opened the White House grounds to local children for egg rolling on Easter Monday in 1878. Successive Presidents have continued the tradition of inviting children to the South Lawn for egg rolling. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Families brave the rain to take part in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday March 28, 2005, at the White House. Officials later closed the event due to inclement weather.President Hayes officially opened the White House grounds to local children for egg rolling on Easter Monday in 1878. Successive Presidents have continued the tradition of inviting children to the South Lawn for egg rolling. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Families and animal charactors brave the rain to take part in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, March 28, 2005, at the White House. Later in the morning the White House canceled the event due to inclement weather. President Hayes officially opened the White House grounds to local children for egg rolling on Easter Monday in 1878. Successive Presidents have continued the tradition of inviting children to the South Lawn for egg rolling. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Sue Lucarelli, right, and her partner Gini Casasco, left, walk with their daughter Alexandria Casasco-Lucarelli, center, to attend the Annual White House Easter Egg Roll, near the White House, Monday, April 17, 2006, in Washington. More than 10,000 people were expected throughout the day, including hundreds of gay and lesbian parents who lined up for first-come-first-served entrance tickets over the weekend. The rainbow colored leis symbolize families with same sex partners. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Bush holds Benjamin Favela during the annual Easter Egg Roll in Washington, Monday, April 17, 2006.The egg roll has been held at the White House since 1878, after a stint on the Capitol grounds. Thousands waited in long lines for the free tickets. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
First lady Laura Bush, flanked by Easter bunnies makes remarks during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 9, 2007, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
First lady Laura Bush, left, daughter Jenna Bush, right, accompanied by PBS' Arthur, read to the children at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, March 24, 2008, on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
President Bush listens at left, as The Jonas Brothers sing the National Anthem, Monday, March 24, 2008, at the start of the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Bush hugs a person dressed as the Easter bunny at the start of the annual Easter Egg Roll, Monday, March 24, 2008, overlooking the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Washington Nationals baseball team mascots at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, March 24, 2008, on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
President Barack Obama talks with three-year-old Patrick Jackson before the start of the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, introduces the Easter Bunny, Monday, April 13, 2009, during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, with daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, and their grandmother Marian Robinson, stand as Fergie sings the National Anthem to open the annual Easter Egg Roll festivities at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 13, 2009. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Barack Obama jokingly acts like he is speaking in the ear of the Easter Bunny after his microphone failed to work as he attended the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 13, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Author J.K. Rowling reads Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll hosted by President Barack Obama on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
First lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia enjoy a performance by Glee at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 5, 2010, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia Obama, reads "Green Eggs and Ham", as they hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 5, 2010, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
First lady Michelle Obama joins chef Jacques Pepin, right, NBC Today show host Al Roker, far left, and TV talk show host Kelly Ripa, at a healthful cooking exhibit during the Easter Egg Roll festivities at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 25, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Barack Obama does pushups during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 9, 2012, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, The Easter Bunny and Robby Novak, better known as Kid President, speaks to the crowd on the South Lawn from the Truman Balcony of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 1, 2013, during the annual Easter Egg Roll. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama cheer a little egg roller as they host the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House is Washington, Monday, April 21, 2014. Thousands of children gathered at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama kicked off the festivities on the White House South Lawn. This year's event features live music, cooking stations, storytelling, and of course, some Easter egg rolling. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Barack Obama, left, and first lady Michelle Obama, right, listen as the singing group "Fifth Harmony" sings happy birthday for the fifth anniversary of the first lady's Let's Move initiative at the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 6, 2015. Thousands of children gathered at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll. This year's event features live music, cooking stations, storytelling, and of course, some Easter egg roll. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
A young boy plays at the American Egg Board's Farm To Table exhibit at the White House Easter Egg Roll on the White House South Lawn in Washington, Monday, March 28, 2016. (Kevin Wolf/AP Images for American Egg Board)
"Shellby" left, "Eggitha" right, from the Virginia Egg Council, pose for a photo with Bess Rawlings, 2, and her sister Mary Linley Rawlings, 4, of Washington, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April,17, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Guests participate in activities during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Donald Trump and the Easter Bunny stand together on the Truman Balcony at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 2, 2018, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump blow whistles to start a race at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Guests pick up free eggs at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 22, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Children hunt for Easter eggs at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 22, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Children play during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 22, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Wooden Easter eggs sit in a box at the White House waiting to be delivered to organizations in the area Wednesday, April 8, 2020, in Washington. With the annual White House Easter Egg Roll canceled due to concerns about large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, first lady Melania Trump is giving 25,000 commemorative Easter eggs to area children's hospitals, federal agencies, aid groups and grocery store chains. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Actress Kristin Chenoweth reads to children during the White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 18, 2022, at The White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Joe Biden appears with first lady Jill Biden and the Easter Bunny on the Blue Room balcony at the White House, Monday, April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
A child cries after the egg fell off of her spoon as she participates in the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden participate in the 2023 White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 10, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Cast members of "The Lion King" perform during the 2023 White House Easter Egg Roll, Monday, April 10, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Easter Egg Roll decorations are on display in the East Colonnade of the White House, Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Members of the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps give a musical demonstration during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The White House Easter Egg Roll begins on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 1, 2024. Thunder and lightning delayed the start of the Easter egg roll at the White House for 90 minutes on Monday, but the event eventually kicked off under gray skies and internment rain. More than 40,000 people, 10,000 more than last year, were expected to participate in the event. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Eggs designed by children of members of the military adorn the East Colonnade of the White House ahead of the White House Easter Egg Roll, Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
