Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
After an interview with Laura Ingraham in which he continued bullying Canada and declined once again to rule out a recession, President Trump took the Fox News host on a tour of the Oval Office that felt like a nightmare version of MTV Cribs.
In the segment, which aired Wednesday night on Fox News, he bragged about his many gaudy additions to the Oval Office, including the reinstalled Diet Coke button and a big map of the “Gulf of America.” Trump was fully in his element — in fact, he might have been a little too comfortable. He made weird digs at Joe Biden throughout, suggesting his predecessor is still living in his head rent-free. And Trump made a number of highly dubious claims, as when he suggested gold paint doesn’t exist while he was standing in a room filled with it.
Here are the six silliest moments from Trump’s White House tour.
Brags about cluttered portrait display
Almost every inch of available wall space in the Oval Office has now been covered by portraits. The White House seems to think this makes Trump a bigger patriot than all of his predecessors, as though he’s an ’N Sync fan proving his devotion by plastering posters of JC and Joey on his bedroom ceiling. Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino shared video of the new additions last month (by my count, there are now 15 paintings on the walls):
Behind the scenes in The Oval Office at The @WhiteHouse where President Trump added more portraits🇺🇸🦅 pic.twitter.com/BuMcyYb1tM
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) February 5, 2025
Trump started jabbering to Ingraham about his painting-filled walls during their walk to the Oval Office. “It’s much different, never been like that,” he said. “You had some of those paintings in vaults and safes for 100 years!”
Asks a trick question about George Washington
Trump has added a giant portrait of Ronald Reagan to the Oval Office, which, obviously, MAGA folks find “AWESOME!”
AWESOME! A portrait of the 40th President of the United States, @RonaldReagan—is now hanging up in The Oval Office… pic.twitter.com/lyYqJBf80X
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) February 5, 2025
But exactly how much do Republicans love Reagan? Is he even more awesome than, say, George Washington? Trump gave Ingraham a little quiz to find out.
“So Reagan has a place of prominence, and George Washington has a place of prominence,” he said. “And I’ve asked this question maybe 200 times … I said, ‘So, who would you put in the place of prominence? George Washington or Ronald Reagan? Who would you put?’”
Ingraham pondered for a moment, then went with Washington. Apparently, this was the correct answer, even for devoted fans of the Gipper. Trump revealed that Washington wins every time … yet he keeps posing this question to his guests? “So far, it’s 219 to 0. And [these people] like Reagan!” he said.
Unveils (copy of) Declaration of Independence
We recently learned that Trump tried to make the Nicolas Cage “I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence” meme a reality. The Atlantic reported that he asked to move the original document — as in, the one on public display in an argon-filled case case at the National Archives — to the Oval Office. Someone told him this isn’t possible, and instead, the National Archives gave Trump one of several historic copies in the government’s possession.
It’s unclear if Trump knows his Declaration is a copy. In the interview, he pulled back the protective drapes and admired the (admittedly) “very cool” document without noting that it isn’t the original or providing any details on the copy’s historic significance.
Trump: Here is the Declaration of Independence. They asked that this be done. It’s never been up — it’s been in the vaults for many, many decades. pic.twitter.com/ciq8HDPhO3
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 19, 2025
“Think Joe Biden would do this?” Trump asked, admiring the document. “I don’t think so. Do you think he’d think of it? Do you think he knows what it is?”
Does Trump?
Marvels at giant “Gulf of America” map
Weirdly, this display — which is just a printed map of the southern United States with the words “GULF OF AMERICA” written in giant letters — got nearly as much attention as the copy of the Declaration.
Trump noted that Elon Musk used the name “Gulf of America” during a phone call. “He said it naturally, he said it so routinely. How cool is that, right?”
But is convincing your trollish new BFF to use your dumb new name for the Gulf of Mexico really that impressive?
Ingraham: What do you think these presidents would be thinking right now?
Trump: I think they’d be proud of our country.. .. this is the resolute desk pic.twitter.com/Z5W8TOpqae
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 20, 2025
Presses Diet Coke button, doesn’t get served
Ingraham asked to see this famous button during her tour, but while introducing the segment, she seemed to acknowledge how silly it is. “The Declaration of Independence, Diet Coke. Yeah, that’s a combination I never thought I’d be asking about in the White House,” she remarked.
Ingraham: Where is the coke button?
Trump: It’s right here. Everyone thinks that the nuclear pic.twitter.com/7XCHX2Mny0
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 19, 2025
A valet did not instantly appear with a fizzy beverage after Trump pressed the button, which was disappointing.
Claims gold paint doesn’t exist
Trump has added a tremendous amount of gold to the Oval Office, from picture frames to paperweights to a gilded TV remote. Yet while discussing several gold angel statues imported from Mar-a-Lago, he let Ingraham in on a “little secret.”
“Throughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold,” Trump said. “And they’ve never been able to do it. You’ve never been able. Look at that, look. You’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint. That’s why it’s gold.”
Trump: A little secret… people have tried to come up with gold paint that would look like gold. You’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint. That’s why it’s gold pic.twitter.com/xvno8TnSw7
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 19, 2025
It seems gold paint does exist, as all of Trump’s natural habitats are covered in it. But Ingraham concurs that when it comes to convincingly painting things gold, you simply “can’t do it.” Sometimes it’s best just to nod and agree that the Emperor’s New Oval Office looks very cool.
