A few days ago, US President Donald Trump’s key ally Elon Musk had brought his son X Æ A-Xii to the Oval Office at the White House. Now, the President has ordered the 150-year-old iconic Resolute Desk removed from the Oval Office for refurbishment.
During the meeting between Trump and Musk, four-year-old X was seen running around the Oval Office, making weird noises and more. He also seemingly picked his nose and rubbed the desk on live TV last week.
Now, Trump has replaced the iconic desk with a C&O desk, saying that it has been installed “temporarily”.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Donald Trump posted a photo of the Oval Office with the new desk.
Trump has often in the past labelled himself as a germophobe. However, it was not clear if he replaced the desk due to the nose-picking incident.
“A President, after the election, gets a choice of 1 in 7 desks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This desk, the ‘C&O,’ which is also very well known and was used by President George H W Bush and others, has been temporarily installed in the White House while the Resolute Desk is being lightly refinished—a very important job. This is a beautiful, but temporary replacement!” he wrote.
The US President did not name Elon Musk or his son in the post. However, international media outlets linked it to the visit by Tesla CEO Musk’s son X Æ A-Xii. The business scion had visited the White House for a joint Q&A session with Trump regarding the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk heads.
Trump’s new Oval Office desk has rich history
While the Resolute Desk is iconic, the C&O desk, short for Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, has a rich history too.
The table was initially made for the railway company’s owner, and later in 1975 it was used in the Oval Office Study.
The Georgian-style C&O Desk is made of walnut and features golden handles. The Georgian-style C&O Desk is made of walnut and features golden handles.
George H W Bush was the first and only president − up until Trump − to utilise the C&O Desk.
The Resolute Desk
The Resolute Desk is perhaps the most iconic piece of furniture in the Oval Office. It was gifted by Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.
The desk, built from the oak timber remains of the British Arctic exploration vessel the HMS Resolute, has been used by every US president since Rutherford B. Hayes.
It was first used by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
According to the White House Historical Association, only three presidents — Lyndon B Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford — are believed not to have used the Resolute Desk at all in the West Wing.
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