The U.S. President, Donald Trump, has “temporarily” swapped the Resolute Desk that’s been part of the Oval Office’s history for the C&O desk. The said desk was originally utilized by previous President George H.W. Bush and a few other presidents.
It is just days since tech billionaire Elon Musk’s son, X, joined his father to the Oval Office for a press briefing. At the event, X was the center of public attention when he seemed to pick his nose and then wipe it on the desk while broadcasting live on TV. The act went viral in no time.
The Resolute Desk, made from wood of the HMS Resolute, a British arctic exploration ship, was donated to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880. It has been continuously in the West Wing, occupied by nearly all U.S. presidents except Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford from 1964 to 1977. The desk was initially installed in the Oval Office in 1961 upon request by President John F. Kennedy.
Donald Trump, who has germophobic tendencies, subsequently posted a photo of the Oval Office with the replacement desk on Truth Social. Yet it is unknown if the change was made because of the ubiquitous footage of Musk’s son.
Trump detailed in his post: “A President, once elected, is offered a choice of 1 in 7 desks. This desk, the ‘C&O,’ well known and occupied by President George H.W.Bush and so many others, is housed temporarily in the White House as the Resolute Desk receives a light refinishing—a task of utmost significance. This is a lovely, but temporary replacement!”
Elon Musk’s son was also seen at a press conference where Trump made his new executive order, which appoints Musk as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Introducing him, Trump said, “This is X, and he’s a great guy—a high IQ individual.”
X, in the scene where he’s making fun of his billionaire dad, then the nose-picking scene, had been doing the rounds of the internet.