President Trump is displaying a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office after requesting it from the National Archives, according to a photograph he shared on Monday.
“The Nationals Archives delivered the Declaration of Independence to the White House at the President’s request. It is displayed in the Oval Office where it will be carefully protected and preserved,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to The Hill.
The president shared on X a photograph of him pulling back a curtain in the Oval Office to reveal the document framed on the wall.
The White House did not provide more information, including information about the copy and the loan from the museum. The National Archives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The engrossed and signed Declaration of Independence hangs at the National Archives on Constitutional Ave., in Washington, D.C., which has been its home since 1952. The original version is faded, while the copy displayed in the Oval Office appeared clear and legible, The Associated Press reported.
Trump reportedly had asked advisers about moving the Declaration of Independence into the Oval Office, seeking a historic copy of the document, The Atlantic reported earlier this month. Artwork and artifacts are traditionally loaned to the White House from Smithsonian Museums, like the National Gallery of Art, and change with new presidents and first ladies.
