The White House has fired back at Grammy-winning musician Jack White after he slammed U.S. President Donald Trump’s Oval Office makeover as “vulgar” and “gaudy.”
The former White Stripes frontman shared a photo of Trump’s August 18 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a backdrop of gold trophies, ornaments, and gilded frames.
Highlights
- Jack White harshly criticized Trump's Oval Office makeover as vulgar, gaudy, and resembling a wrestler's dressing room.
- The White House dismissed White as a 'washed-up, has-been loser' who's disrespecting the Oval Office’s historic significance.
- Trump’s Oval Office redesign reflects a heavy-gilded aesthetic inspired by his Mar-a-Lago resort and his love of gold decor.
The 50-year-old rocker, a long-time critic of Trump, wrote in the caption: “Look at how disgusting Trump has transformed the historic White House.”
Grammy-winning musician Jack White called Trump’s Oval Office makeover ‘vulgar’ and ‘gaudy’
Image credits: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images
“It’s now a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room. Can’t wait for the UFC match on the front lawn too, he’s almost fully achieved the movie ‘Idiocracy,’” he wrote.
“Look at his disgusting taste, would you even buy a used car from this conman, let alone give him the nuclear codes?” White continued. “A gold plated Trump bible would look perfect up on that mantle with a pair of Trump shoes on either side wouldn’t it?”
The post, also calling Trump “an embarrassment to American history,” quickly gained traction online, drawing more than 140,000 likes.
The White House responded quickly, with Communications Director Steven Cheung speaking to The Independent and The Daily Beast.
“Jack White is a washed up, has-been loser posting drivel on social media because he clearly has ample time on his hands due to his stalled career.” Cheung said.
“It’s apparent he’s been masquerading as a real artist, because he fails to appreciate, and quite frankly disrespects, the splendor and significance of the Oval Office inside of ‘The People’s House.’”
This is not the first time White has spoken out against Trump. Over the past year, he has labeled Trump everything from an “obvious fascist and wannabe dictator” to a “Nazi clown.”
The feud also stems from Trump’s use of White’s music. In 2024, the presidential hopeful used White’s hit ‘Seven Nation Army’ without permission in a campaign video. The song, recorded with The White Stripes, earned White the first of his 12 Grammy Awards.
The White House called White a ‘washed up, has-been loser’ in response
White responded with a fiery Instagram post, threatening legal action: “Don’t even think about using my music you fascists.”
Despite Cheung’s claim that White’s career has “stalled,” the musician remains active. His 2024 album No Name earned a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards. He is also scheduled to headline Brooklyn’s CBGB Festival next month alongside Iggy Pop and the Sex Pistols.
White’s critique comes as Trump has leaned heavily into a gilded aesthetic inside the White House. Since returning to office in January, Trump has overseen a redesign that echoes the style of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Gold-framed paintings now line the walls, cherub statues imported from Mar-a-Lago sit in corners, and gilded mirrors and gold appliqués frame the fireplace.
“I picked it all myself,” he said last month. “I’m very proud of it.”
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
The changes have not been limited to the Oval Office. Barbara Res, a former Trump Organization executive, said the president has a penchant for gold and has also added gold decor to the Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, and the Plaza Hotel—all owned by him.
“He used the word ‘class’ a lot, and it was a high-class thing for him,” Res told USA Today. “It conveyed an illusion of taste and wealth, and that’s why he wanted to gild everything.”
Soon after his inauguration in January, Trump redecorated the Oval Office and switched around pictures, busts, and ornaments, introducing as much gold as possible.
These are not the only changes Trump has made to the White House. Trump has also paved over the Rose Garden lawn, arguing that women’s high heels were sinking into the grass during events.
Earlier this month, the White House announced that it would be building a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom modeled after Mar-a-Lago’s lavish event room. The addition will be made to the East Wing, construction for which will begin in September.
Trump has planned to construct a $200 million ballroom at the White House
Image credits: The White House
The ballroom will also feature a gold-and-white hall featuring crystal chandeliers, gilded Corinthian columns, a coffered ceiling with gold inlays, checkered marble floors with gold floor lamps, and three walls of arched windows overlooking the South Lawn.
It is modeled after the event room at Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, which was inspired by Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
White concluded his Instagram post by contrasting Trump with Zelenskyy, who sat alongside the president during Monday’s meeting.
“Also pictured in this photograph, a REAL leader of a nation in a black suit,” White wrote.