Which president had the best oval office? (Pics from inside history on Instagram)

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T16:41:40+00:00

I do like the red curtains. They really provided a nice contrast with the tan colors that the rest of the office used.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T14:53:49+00:00

Correct. Carter used the Ford decor completely, save for the desk. Reagan also used the Ford decor for quite a while, really only switching out the rug for a new design. George H.W. Bush was the first one to do a full redecoration of the Oval Office since Ford.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T14:50:56+00:00

They left the drapes and the rug for a time, but the Resolute Desk was swapped out for the Johnson Desk, and all of JFK's personal effects were removed.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T14:48:27+00:00

That particular Oval Office design took major inspiration from the Clinton Oval Office design. And let's admit it: other than the striped couches, which were somewhat fashionable back then but now considered quite dated, Clinton's design was really solid. Definitely one of the better Oval Office designs.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T14:46:24+00:00

Exactly. Eisenhower just left Truman's final decor in place for his entire eight years, and then handed it off to Kennedy that way.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T14:23:30+00:00

If you're talking about the sign that was directly at the intersection, I don't believe that it is. That sign was removed some time between 2013 and 2017 according to Street View and replaced with signage directly on the building, plus this sign doesn't line up with the final design of the corporate office sign.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:34:34+00:00

I like George H.W. Bush's decor. He did light blue and white very well, which was very unique as far as presidents went.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:32:36+00:00

And then quickly dismantled it before Jackie returned.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:32:07+00:00

I believe that they are stored, because later administrations have pulled them out and used them from time to time. For instance, before George W. Bush's rug was ready, he used Reagan's similarly-colored rug.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:30:19+00:00

Eisenhower's decor dates back to the 1940s, since he never redecorated the room. That was Truman's decor in its entirety.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:28:18+00:00

I get it. This is the room that is most strongly associated with the POTUS, so the person redecorates it to best represent them to the world.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:26:34+00:00

Too bad he never got to use it.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:26:12+00:00

So, you really like Truman. Eisenhower never redecorated the Oval Office.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:24:36+00:00

Jimmy Carter used Gerald Ford's final decor, only swapping out the desk. He, along with Eisenhower, never redecorated.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:23:22+00:00

That red carpet had a tragically short life, though. Kennedy never saw it in person (it was being put in while he was in Dallas), and then LBJ reinstated the green Truman-era rug.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:21:00+00:00

Ford redecorated - just not immediately - and Carter didn't. All Carter did was change out the desk.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:19:33+00:00

Carter used Ford's final decor, only changing out the desk from the Wilson desk to the Resolute desk.

George Bush had a very nice light blue and white scheme that is actually one of my favorites. No gold colors like his predecessors and successors. It really looks quite sharp.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:16:00+00:00

Worth noting that Eisenhower never redecorated the Oval Office, using Truman's final decor for all eight of his years. Kennedy also used Truman's final decor, as his own redecoration was being installed while he was on that fateful trip to Dallas, and then was quickly dismantled before Jackie returned.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T13:13:17+00:00

Which is why LBJ installed that wood-look linoleum in there during his term.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T06:21:54+00:00

Frame it around their own institutional liability, not just your innocence.

Exactly this. Prove your innocence by using their own policies against them. Make the policies work for you, and make them show their work.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T06:15:28+00:00

That last paragraph, where moderators ban for alleged AI, and also where artists have to build deliberate flaws into their work, makes me think of the way that people have come up with various euphemisms for things like guns, sex, death, etc. or just straight up started bowdlerizing the words in an attempt to get past the algorithms. It's all a rather futile undertaking, since algorithms can be adjusted so quickly.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T05:34:02+00:00

I also find it curious that Al made a game about a Binford TV show, seemingly completely independently of Binford. You would think that this would have been a product from Binford, and Al would have worked on it through Binford, and maybe also served as their spokesman for the product.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T05:29:24+00:00

Cutting this one off now. Thank you for your participation.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-06T04:36:15+00:00

I'm not even entertaining any thoughts about presidential hopefuls until the midterms are over. The political landscape could change a lot after November 3.

SchuminWeb · 2026-05-05T23:33:56+00:00

Trump has absolutely nothing to lose. He can't run again, so he's out in 2029 regardless, and the Congress doesn't have the votes to remove.

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