Donald Trump has temporarily removed the historic Resolute Desk, previously used by Joe Biden and Barack Obama, from the Oval Office and replaced it with the C&O desk.
The Resolute Desk, crafted from timber salvaged from the British arctic exploration ship HMS Resolute and gifted to President Rutherford Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880, has been a staple in the West Wing, used by nearly every U.S. president.
Since the Oval Office’s construction in 1909, six desks—including the Resolute, C&O, Theodore Roosevelt, Hoover, Johnson, and Wilson desks—have been placed there as both symbols of the presidency and functional workspaces.
Trump stated that the Resolute Desk is undergoing refurbishment and has been temporarily replaced by the C&O desk, which he described as “beautiful.”
On Truth Social, Trump mentioned that a president can choose from “one in seven desks,” although this number appears to be inaccurate.
The C&O desk, originally built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway’s owners, was donated to the White House in 1987 by the GSX Corporation, a major rail transit company.
“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!” Trump wrote.
Since 1977, the Resolute Desk has been a mainstay in the Oval Office, with every president except George H.W. Bush opting to use it. Bush Sr., the only president to use the C&O desk in the Oval Office, made it the shortest-serving desk in history.
Other presidents, including Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, used the C&O desk in the West Wing Study. Three presidents—Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Ford—are believed to have never used the Resolute Desk in the West Wing.
John F. Kennedy first placed the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office in 1961. After his assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson chose the Johnson Desk, leading to the Resolute Desk being displayed at the Smithsonian from 1966 until 1977, when Jimmy Carter reinstated it in the Oval Office.
Most recently, the Resolute Desk was used by Biden (2021–2025) and Obama (2009–2017), as well as Trump himself during his first term (2017–2021).
