Reported by BBC World
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that he says will prevent future presidents from making certain changes to the White House Oval Office.
Trump, a former real estate mogul, has altered the president's official office during his second term, most notably by adding many gold features to its walls.
"So we're making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people, in order to build something in a slightly different shape," Trump told reporters on Thursday.
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American presidents currently have the power to make some changes to the White House but large projects require the permission of Congress.
Thursday's executive order declares the Oval Office to be a national monument, along with some of its surrounding rooms.
The document also says that it does not "restrict the President's authority to redecorate the monument, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications that do not substantially impair the monument's historic structure or architectural character".
"We like the Oval Office, and it's a symbol like the White House itself. It's a symbol of our country and the greatness of our country," Trump said.
The president has the power to create national monuments, which are similar to national parks.
Trump's order calls on the office to be maintained by the National Park Service "in a manner that protects its historic character, architectural integrity, and association with the Presidency".
The entire building is already designated as a National Historic Landmark, which is intended to prevent against sudden changes to the building.
Trump's proclamation notes the existing protection, but says "nonetheless, the Oval Office merits specific recognition and protective management as a discrete historic structure of national significance".
A Trump administration staff member seen inside the Oval Office in May
Congress has carved out an exemption to the National Historic Preservation Act, in order to allow presidents to make needed changes. The current Oval Office has existed since the early 1930s, after its conception by President Franklin D Roosevelt.
Greg Werkheiser, from the law firm Cultural Heritage Partners, which…