Temporarily Replaced with C&O Desk for Repainting
President Can Choose from Seven Different Desks
U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily replaced the White House Resolute Desk, named for its historical significance as the desk where important political decisions have been made by past presidents. The official reason given was for repainting. However, some speculate that the real reason for the temporary replacement is that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and recently appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), brought his son 'X' to the Oval Office, and the boy smeared boogers on the desk.
U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily replaced the "Resolute Desk" in the White House Oval Office, named for being the desk of the U.S. president, where historically and past presidents have made important political decisions. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News Agency
On the 20th, Trump posted a photo on his social media platform Truth Social showing the Oval Office with the Resolute Desk replaced by another desk. In the post, Trump wrote, "The President of the United States can choose from seven desks, and this desk, the 'C&O,' is very famous and was used by President George H.W. Bush and others." He added, "While the Resolute Desk is undergoing light repainting, this desk has been temporarily installed in the White House. The repainting is a very important task. This desk ('C&O') is beautiful but a temporary replacement." This implies that once the repainting is complete, the original Resolute Desk will be returned to the Oval Office.
However, some media outlets speculate that after a live broadcast on the 11th showed Musk's 4-year-old son X Æ A-Xii picking his nose and smearing boogers on the Resolute Desk during a press conference with Trump in the Oval Office, Trump deliberately replaced the desk citing repainting as the reason.
The British media outlet Daily Mail reported, "Trump removed the desk from the Oval Office for repainting one week after Musk's son left marks on the Resolute Desk," and analyzed, "Since it is well known that Trump has obsessive-compulsive tendencies, he replaced the Resolute Desk with the 'C&O' desk used by President George H.W. Bush during his tenure."
What are the seven desks only U.S. presidents can use?
The 'C&O desk' that Trump brought in as a replacement for the 'Resolute desk' was made in 1920 for the owner of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It was later donated to the White House in 1987 and is known to have been used by President George H.W. Bush in his office. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
As Trump previously stated, the U.S. president can choose one of seven desks to use in the White House. The 'C&O Desk,' which Trump brought in as a replacement for the Resolute Desk, was originally made in 1920 for the owner of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It was donated to the White House in 1987 and is known to have been used by President George H.W. Bush in the Oval Office. Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan used this desk in the West Wing offices of the White House.
The most famous desk available for use by U.S. presidents in the White House is the Resolute Desk, which Trump had been using. Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and John F. Kennedy also used this desk. The Resolute Desk has been used by eight presidents and is considered the most popular desk in the White House among U.S. presidents.
The Resolute Desk was a gift from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom to President Rutherford Hayes in 1880. It was made from oak timber salvaged from the British naval ship HMS Resolute after it was decommissioned, which is how it got its name. Historically significant decisions were made at the Resolute Desk, including President John F. Kennedy's Cuban blockade order and President George H.W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq.
The 'Wilon Desk' is known as the desk used by Vice President Henry Wilson during President Ulysses S. Grant's administration, and was later used by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
The Wilson Desk is known to have been used by Vice President Henry Wilson during President Ulysses S. Grant's administration and later by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. The Hoover Desk was donated by furniture makers from Michigan for President Herbert Hoover after the West Wing fire severely damaged the Oval Office and its contents. President Franklin D. Roosevelt also used this desk, which is now displayed at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Museum in New York.
The 'Hoover Desk' is a desk donated by furniture makers from Michigan for President Herbert Hoover after the West Wing of the White House was severely damaged by fire, including the Oval Office and its contents. President Franklin D. Roosevelt also used this desk, and it is currently on display at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library in New York.
Other desks include the Theodore Roosevelt Desk, made in 1903 for Theodore Roosevelt. It was used by seven presidents from William Howard Taft to Dwight D. Eisenhower and was damaged in the 1929 West Wing fire. The Johnson Desk was a personal desk used only by President Lyndon B. Johnson since his Senate days, making it the only desk used by a single president. It is currently exhibited at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. Lastly, there is the Partners' Desk, designed for two people to sit facing each other.
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