How Trump and his ‘gold guy’ are redecorating the White House

WASHINGTON—The Government Publishing Office, which prints the official presidential portraits that hang in hundreds of federal buildings, received an unusual request from the White House last month.

President Trump wanted his portrait to glimmer.

The White House asked that Trump’s portrait, along with Vice President’s JD Vance’s, be printed with a golden border that would catch the light, an administration official said. The reprint required metallic gold ink and a specialized printer. And it delayed the completion of the portraits, some of which had already been printed with a more understated white border, according to an internal government document outlining the request.

Since taking office less than three months ago, Trump has challenged the global order and upended Washington. In his spare time, he has also become the White House art director, adding golden flourishes to every corner of the government.

In recent weeks, Trump has turned parts of the White House gold, making the world’s most famous address look more like Mar-a-Lago, his Florida club.

To assist with the White House makeover, Trump brought in a man that one of his advisers referred to as the president’s “gold guy.”

A cabinetmaker from south Florida who has worked on projects at Mar-a-Lago, John Icart helped add custom-made gold finishes to the Oval Office, including gilded carvings for the fireplace mantel and the molding that wraps around the most famous office in the world, administration officials said. Icart traveled to Washington with Trump on Air Force One, according to one of the officials. He declined to comment, referring questions to the White House.

“It’s the Golden Office for the Golden Age,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an email. A Government Publishing Office spokesman declined to comment.

Those who have visited Mar-a-Lago say the gold touches in the White House look familiar. The Florida club is awash in gold, with the color covering nearly every ceiling, wall, picture frame and desk. The original designer, Joseph Urban, designed opera sets and took inspiration from the grand palaces of Europe.

Administration officials said Trump personally oversaw the installation of the gold carvings on the mantel in the Oval Office. He also brought gold cherubs from Mar-a-Lago to be installed in the White House.

Prominently displayed next to the Resolute Desk is a large gold FIFA World Cup trophy. Seven gold vases and urns decorate the mantle. During the Biden administration and the first Trump administration, the mantle was adorned with plants.

Trump has affixed a gold Trump crest over the door leading into the White House from the colonnade, a recent visitor said. There are gold coasters with Trump’s name on side tables. There are even gold details on the table in his private dining room next to the Oval Office, an administration official said.

The president brought in experts to see if he could hang a chandelier in the Oval Office, administration officials said, but the project didn’t immediately go forward because the chandelier was too heavy for the part of the ceiling they examined. The project could still go forward in a different area, a senior administration official said.

Trump’s love of gold dates back decades. His apartment on the top three floors of Trump Tower in New York, long the subject of glossy magazine photos, is draped in gold.

“People have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, and they have never been able to do it. You’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint,” Trump told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham during an interview in March. “That’s why it’s gold,” he said, pointing out the golden touches in the Oval Office.

Presidents have for decades put their own personal touches on the White House, according to Kate Andersen Brower, who has written books about the White House. “To make changes on the state floor they have to have the permission of the White House curator, who treats the White House like the museum that it is,” she wrote in an email. “The White House is the People’s House after all, it doesn’t belong to any one President.” The White House curator was consulted on the redecorations, an administration official said.

The White House Historical Association, a private, nonprofit organization which has helped fund major restoration projects in the past, referred a request for comment to the White House.

Trump’s love of gold is so well-known that foreign dignitaries have given him gold-themed gifts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave Trump a gold pager, in a nod to Israel’s attack on Hezbollah last year using exploding electronic devices. Netanyahu later marveled to others about how much Trump liked the gold pager. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba brought Trump a gold samurai helmet when he visited in February.

The same day Trump moved into the White House, he got to work envisioning changes to his workspace, including building a patio in the Rose Garden so he can dine al fresco and host outdoor parties, according to people familiar with the discussions. The president has also noted that women’s high heels could get stuck in the Rose Garden’s grass, the people said.

He has also talked about building a ballroom on the grounds of the White House to hold functions, the people said.

In his first term, Trump showed little interest in redesigning the White House, only changing pictures in the Oval Office and installing some new flags, former administration officials said. But administration officials say Trump is now serious about his remodeling plans.

Trump has held several meetings about installing the patio outside the White House with architects and others who could work on the project, and the White House has asked officials at the White House Historical Association what approvals they would need, administration officials said.

Trump wants the patio to be completed by the summer season, according to one of the officials.

Write to Meridith McGraw at Meridith.McGraw@WSJ.com, Josh Dawsey at Joshua.Dawsey@WSJ.com and Julie Wernau at julie.wernau@wsj.com