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There’s a New Secret Button in the Oval Office—Here’s What Happens When It’s Pressed
Published on Jan. 22, 2025
When there’s a change in presidential administrations, the new commander in chief fills the Cabinet with a fresh slate of appointees. That’s to be expected. But here’s a fun White House fact for you: The incoming president of the United States also gives the Oval Office a makeover.
It’s truly an “out with the old, in with the new” situation, and the decor change happens while the inauguration festivities are taking place. Talk about efficiency! This way, presidents can slide right into their office, redecorated to their liking. In fact, while Donald Trump was being sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025, the Oval Office was getting prepped with a special button very specific to him—at his request, of course.
Read on to find out what this secret button does, where to find it and what else to expect in the newly renovated Oval Office.
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What happens when the president presses this button?
Nope, it’s not a panic button or even an “I’m bored—get me out of this meeting” button. Believe it or not, when President Trump presses this newly installed button, a butler brings him his favorite soft drink: a Diet Coke. Now that’s a weird White House job!
Photos taken of Trump’s desk in 2018, during his last stint in the highest office in the land, showed that he likes his Diet Coke served in a glass on ice. Even more interesting, it’s delivered to him in a very special manner—on a silver tray in a tall glass engraved with the presidential seal.
Where is the button located?
The Diet Coke button sits within a small wooden box on Trump’s desk in the Oval Office. He had this very same button added in 2017, during his first term as president. It was removed when President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
Trump’s appreciation of Diet Coke is widely known. In fact, the CEO of Coca-Cola, James Quincey, presented him with a personalized glass bottle of the beverage the week before the inauguration, though this is actually a Coca-Cola tradition for incoming presidents that dates back to 2005, when George W. Bush took office. The label of this limited-edition commemorative bottle, which will not be sold to the public, features a photo of the White House with the words “The Inauguration of the President of the United States,” followed by “Donald J. Trump” and the inauguration date, “January 20, 2025,” below it.
What other changes have been made to the Oval Office?
Although the rug and assorted furniture have been swapped out, the wall decor may have gotten the biggest update in the Oval Office. Trump brought back several portraits, including those featuring George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Additionally, a sculpture by Frederic Remington has returned to the office. Called “The Bronco Buster,” the piece features a cowboy trying to tame a bucking horse. He has also brought back a bust of Winston Churchill, and he will keep one of Martin Luther King Jr. that Biden also displayed.
Interestingly, Biden didn’t change the gold drapes from Trump’s last round in office, and Trump has kept those in place as well.
What comfort food did Biden keep in the Oval Office?
While he didn’t have a Diet Coke button, the former president reportedly always had a plate of chocolate chip cookies available on the office’s coffee table. It has also been reported that visiting members of Congress were often offered cookies packaged with the presidential seal after meetings. First lady Jill Biden also gifted the National Guard with a basket full of chocolate chip cookies shortly after her husband’s inauguration to thank them “for keeping me and my family safe.”
Biden’s chocolate chip cookies, by the way, replaced Obama’s big bowl of fresh apples, which were a fixture in the Oval Office during his presidency.
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Sources:
- Newsweek: “Donald Trump Brings Back Diet Coke Button to Oval Office”
- New York Post: “The Diet Coke button returns to the Oval Office after Trump inauguration”
- Fortune: “Coca-Cola CEO gifted Trump a special-edition bottle of Diet Coke for his inauguration”
- NPR: “Biden’s West Wing has a moon rock, a rugby ball and homemade cookies”
- Mashed: “Joe Biden Hands Out This Sweet Treat To His Oval Office Visitors”
