The Trump administration has clapped back at Grammy-winning musician Jack White’s critical commentary on the president’s new-look Oval Office.
White, former front man for The White Stripes, unleashed on Instagram on Monday, claiming that Donald Trump’s torrent of gold and gilded additions to the office were an “embarrassment to American history,” describing it as “a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room.”
“Look at his disgusting taste, would you even buy a used car from this conman, let alone give him the nuclear codes?,” White said, posting a photo of the Oval Office. “A gold plated Trump bible would look perfect up on that mantle with a pair of Trump shoes on either side wouldn’t it?”
Responding to White’s verdict on Trump’s tacky decor, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told 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 added, “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.’”
White’s post has had almost 120,000 likes and is the latest of many anti-Trump comments the 50-year-old has made on social media, which has seen him label the president everything from a “obvious fascist and wannabe dictator” to a “Nazi clown.”
When one comment on his Oval Office post said “it was an insult” to compare “this gold poop” to locker rooms, White noted, “I agree that pro wrestlers don’t deserve the comparison.”
White has won 12 Grammy awards, his first being for the White Stripes classic “Seven Nation Army”, a song which Trump used without permission in a campaign video last year, prompting the musician to threaten to sue him.
“Don’t even think about using my music you fascists,” White wrote in a fiery Instagram post responding to the video.
Despite Cheung claiming White’s career has “stalled”, his most recent album, last year’s No Name, was nominated at the 2025 Grammy awards for Best Rock Album.
His next major gig is the CBGB Festival in Brooklyn next month, playing alongside Iggy Pop and the Sex Pistols.
Trump has been bringing a touch of his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort to the White House this year.
Paintings have gold frames, gold cherubs have been shipped in from his resort, with gilded mirrors on the wall and gold appliqués on the fireplace, which is topped with urns.
“I picked it all myself,” Trump said last month. “I’m very proud of it.”
Barbara Res, once a VP at the Trump Organization, witnessed the real estate tycoon’s penchant for filling Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago and the Plaza Hotel with gold, polished bronze and brass.
“He used the word ‘class’ a lot, and it was a high-class thing for him,” Res told USA Today of his taste in decorations and fittings. “It conveyed an illusion of taste and wealth, and that’s why he wanted to gild everything.”
Trump has also replaced the lawn in the Rose Garden with paving, claiming women had complained their high heels were sinking into the grass. He is planning on hosting a UFC match on the grounds of the White House next year.
