Does Trump want to use the Declaration of Independence as decor in the Oval Office?

Donald Trump taking a sacred symbol of American’s civil liberties and using it as office décor? Yeah, sounds about right.

Trump doesn’t have a great history of sharing documents (cough cough, his 2023 indictment), so it’s perfectly on-brand for him to want the Declaration of Independence all to himself. Yes, the literal, 248-year-old founding document of the United States, which has been on display at the National Archives in D.C. since 1952, could make its way to Trump’s White House, if recent reports are to be believed.

Trump’s aides reportedly “alarmed” over president’s request to move the Declaration of Independence to the Oval Office

Last week, The Atlantic reported that Trump asked his advisers about the possibility of moving the Declaration of Independence from its home in the rotunda to the Oval Office. According to the article, White House staff members were “alarmed” by Trump’s request due to the sheer amount of time, money, and resources that would go into transporting the 1776 document. Sounds like a case for those plucky underdogs at DOGE, no?

Thankfully, someone was able to talk some sense into Trump. Per the same report, he’s supposedly backed away from moving the original document, and is willing to opt for a historical copy instead. Hanging what is essentially a “written rejection of monarchy,” as The Atlantic put it, is a pretty ballsy move for a guy who’s proudly adopted the moniker “King Trump” in the wake of Inauguration Day.

“LONG LIVE THE KING!” the official White House Twitter (X) account wrote back in February 2025, alongside a fake Time Magazine cover depicting Trump in a crown. Exactly what George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and our other Founding Fathers would’ve wanted—a new sovereign!

The Declaration of Independence is a very, very delicate document

In more ways than one, the Declaration of Independence is more fragile now than ever. The original 1776 document, which was penned on animal skin and subjected to sun exposure, smoke, and humidity over the years, has already undergone extensive restoration work. Moving it could mean disaster for the preservation of this historic document, but symbolically, it would also a slap in the face for the very ideals this nation was founded on.

If Trump really cared about the Charters of Freedom and what they represent, why would he want to move the Declaration of Independence away from the public eye, and restrict Americans’ viewing access? It’s hard to say, but it sure seems like a play to fuel his inflated sense of power and ego—or he just thinks it would look cool in his office, similar to frat bros hanging up Pulp Fiction posters. May I suggest…shelves? A painting? Literally anything that isn’t a priceless artifact, thank you very much.