London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2026

Inside Biden’s Oval Office: no more Trump ‘Diet Coke button’

Inside Biden’s Oval Office: no more Trump ‘Diet Coke button’

All presidents tweak the Oval Office decor at the start of their terms to reflect their personal tastes and to telegraph broader messages to the public.

A button former president Donald Trump used to order Diet Cokes while sitting at the Resolute Desk in the White House has apparently been moved since President Joe Biden took office.

Trump first showed off the wooden call box in 2017 interviews with the Associated Press and the Financial Times. He showed reporters that with a push of a red button, a White House butler would bring him a glass of soda in the Oval Office.

In the years after, Trump was pictured regularly with the rectangular wooden box on the desk, right next to his phones.


US President Joe Biden at the Resolute Desk.


The call button is not new and isn’t only used for ordering fizzy drinks – President Barack Obama was once pictured with it on a table during a lunch with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

But Biden appears to have moved the call button off his desk.

Instead, photos of his desk on Biden’s first day of office show two phones, a coffee cup, a set of pens. It’s unclear where the call button went.


Presidents almost always redesign the Oval Office upon taking office, and the call button wasn’t the only thing Biden changed.

Biden replaced a portrait of President Andrew Jackson with a portrait of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and opted to feature a number of progressives and activists through the room, including Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jnr, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, and labour leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez.

He also chose to display portraits of Benjamin Franklin, President Thomas Jefferson, and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.


A bust of Mexican-American labour leader Cesar Chavez with Biden family photos in the Oval Office.


The most visually striking change is Biden’s choice of a deep blue rug, with the presidential seal in the middle, that was last used by President Bill Clinton, to replace a light coloured rug laid down by Trump. Biden is also using Clinton’s deep gold draperies.

Biden is keeping the Resolute desk, so named because it was built using oak from the British Arctic exploration ship HMS Resolute.


Portraits in the Oval Office.


The White House maintains a vast collection of furniture, paintings and other artefacts that they can choose from. Presidents are also allowed to borrow items from the Smithsonian and other museums.

The White House curator oversees everything, and the makeover is carried out in the hours after the outgoing president leaves the mansion and before the new president arrives.

Biden also replaced a row of military service flags Trump used to decorate the office with a single American flag and a flag with the presidential seal, both positioned behind his desk.

He also chose a tufted, dark brown leather chair instead of keeping the reddish brown desk chair Trump used.

Comments

Oh ya 5 year ago
In his state he really does not even know where he is. Elder abuse is what the Democrats did. He should be out enjoying his golden years not talking about how kids rubbed his hairy legs and corn pop. The hoe is just waiting to get him out so she can sit behind the desk

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
GB News Faces Regulatory Complaints Over On-Air Remarks on ‘Genocide’ Claims
UK Signals Expanded Support for Gulf Allies as Iranian Attacks Intensify Regional Threats
UK VAT Decision Opens Path for Potential Refunds to U.S. Biopharma Firms
UK and Canada Advance ‘Middle Power’ Strategy to Shape Global Influence Beyond Superpowers
Google Explores AI Opt-Out Features in Search to Address UK Regulatory Concerns
Google Explores AI Opt-Out Features in Search to Address UK Regulatory Concerns
UK Fuel Prices Poised to Surge as Global Tensions Drive Oil Market Volatility
UK Fuel Prices Poised to Surge as Global Tensions Drive Oil Market Volatility
UK Holds Back on Hormuz Escort Mission While Continuing Talks with Allies
TrumpRx Pricing Platform Faces Scrutiny as Some Medicines Remain Costlier Than in the UK
UK, Netherlands and Finland Explore Joint Defence Investment Bank to Boost Military Capability
Deadly Meningitis Outbreak in Kent Raises Alarm as Cases Surge and Emergency Response Expands
UK Security Adviser Viewed US-Iran Nuclear Deal as Within Reach Before Sudden Escalation
UK Prime Minister Urges Continued Focus on Ukraine Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
UK Introduces New Safeguards to Shield Lenders from Bank Run Risks
UK Promotional Products Market Surpasses £1.3 Billion as Demand Strengthens in 2025
Reeves Pushes for Deeper UK-EU Economic Ties to Revive Growth
UK Security Adviser Saw No Imminent Iranian Nuclear Threat Days Before War Erupted
France Signals Warm Welcome for UK Return to EU Single Market Amid Renewed Cooperation Talks
UK Defence Official Criticises Boeing Over Delays to E-7 Wedgetail Programme
UK Urged to Secure Quantum Talent as Minister Warns Against Repeating AI Setbacks
UK Mayors Set to Gain New Spending Powers Under Reeves’ Fiscal Devolution Plan
Western Allies Urge Restraint as Israel Weighs Expanded Ground Operation in Lebanon
Trump Warns NATO Faces ‘Very Bad’ Future Without Stronger Allied Support in Iran Conflict
UK Minister Says Britain Not Bound to Support Every Demand From U.S. President
Starmer Tells Trump Britain Will Not Be Drawn Into Wider Iran War
Starmer Tells Trump Britain Will Not Be Drawn Into Wider Iran War
UK Set to Introduce Steel Tariffs of Up to 50 Percent in New Industrial Strategy
European Governments Decline Trump’s Call to Send Warships to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
Fears Over Iran Conflict Weigh on UK Consumer Confidence
Starmer Says UK Working With Allies on Hormuz Shipping Plan After Trump Raises Pressure
Iran War and Energy Shock Shake Britain’s Economy and Political Debate
Deadly Meningitis Outbreak at UK University Leaves Two Dead and Several Seriously Ill
Deadly Meningitis Outbreak at UK University Leaves Two Dead and Several Seriously Ill
King Charles and Queen Camilla Share Personal Tributes to Their Mothers on UK Mother’s Day
Prince William Honors Princess Diana with Mother’s Day Tribute
UK Economy Stalls in January as Households Cut Back on Eating Out
AI-Generated Singer Becomes Viral Voice for Iranians With New Anthem
London Private Club Founder Plans Exclusive Palm Beach Venue Near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
Ed Davey Urges Britain to Build Fully Independent Nuclear Missile Capability
What the UK Covid Inquiry Is and How It Investigates Britain’s Pandemic Response
What the UK Covid Inquiry Is and How It Investigates Britain’s Pandemic Response
US Treasury Links British Polo Patrons to Alleged Venezuelan Oil Proceeds Laundering Scheme
Hundreds Gather in London Despite Ban on Annual Pro-Palestinian March
Two Dead and Multiple Students Seriously Ill After Invasive Meningitis Outbreak at UK University
UK Considers Deploying Ships and Mine-Hunting Drones to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
Starmer and Trump Discuss Urgent Need to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Planned Australia Visit Draws Mixed Reaction From Local Communities
Trump Calls on France and UK to Help Safeguard Strait of Hormuz Shipping Route
Boris Johnson Labels Bitcoin a ‘Ponzi Scheme’, Sparking Debate in Crypto World
×