President Donald Trump’s newly “gilded” Oval Office is facing scrutiny after social media sleuths suggested that many of its ornate trimmings might come from, drum roll, Home Depot.
Home Depot‘s decorative accents, which look a lot like those that now adorned the newly decorated White House office, marketed as “polyurethane appliqué & onlay moulding” by Ekena Millwork, retail for just $58.07. These findings have sparked renewed conversations after “Inside Edition” and the Instagram account Diet Prada noted the striking resemblance between the Oval Office’s gold accents and products available from the home improvement giant.
The controversy comes amid heightened attention to Trump’s opulent redesign of the nation’s most famous office. In April, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had called in his “gold guy” to add custom finishes to the Oval Office, including gilded carvings for the fireplace mantel and decorative moulding wrapping around the room.
Despite speculation about their bargain origins, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the gold touches are authentic. During one appearance, he declared: “As it becomes more and more beautiful with love — you know, we handle it with great love — and 24-karat gold. That always helps, too,” Newsweek reported.
In a March interview with Fox New’s Laura Ingraham, doubling down on his claims, he said: “Throughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, but they have never been able to do it,” Trump explained of the symbolic color. “They’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint, that’s why it’s gold.”
BuzzFeed reports that several mouldings visible in photos of the Oval Office closely resemble Ekena Millwork products, some retailing for as little as $30.79. A spokesperson for Ekena Millwork told BuzzFeed: “We work with several design firms in DC that have worked on the White House and believe these could be our onlays.”
The company further suggested that another motif seen in recent photos could be their “Endurathane Abigail Onlay,” which retails for $24.48.
Despite the mounting evidence, the White House has not responded to requests for comment regarding the sourcing of the decor.
