Trump wants to cover White House office building in 'magic paint' as experts warn against it

Donald Trump has said that he wants to use a kind of 'magic paint' to decorate an office close to the White House.

Trump's second administration has been marked by extensive renovations on the White House, including plans to build a ballroom which is reportedly costing $400 million.

But another part of the US president's plans involve renovations on an office building which is located near to the White House.

This is called the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), which is situated close to the White House's West Wing.

The building was opened back in 1888, called the State, War, and Navy Building at the time, and is classed as a National Historic Landmark.

It is currently within the White House complex of administrative buildings, and houses a number of government agencies including the office of the Vice President.

Some presidents have also used the building, for example Richard Nixon, who used the Oval Office as a ceremonial space but maintained a 'working office' in the EEOB.

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building in 2026 (Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)

In short, it's a very important building in the history of Washington DC, and now Trump wants to redecorate, using 'magic paint'.

The building has a granite exterior, which the president reportedly wants to paint completely white, using a kind of silicone paint.

It's come after a series of documents sent to the Commission of Fine Arts claimed that the building 'has been largely neglected since its construction in the late 1800s', according to CNN.

Trump suggested he might redecorate while speaking to Laura Ingraham, saying in an interview on Fox News last year: "I don't even know if I'm going to do it yet."

The president made his feelings about the ornate 19th century building clear, saying: "You know it was always considered an ugly building, and it's actually one of the most beautiful buildings ever built."

A photo of building around 1897, 11 years after it was opened when it was still called the Army and Navy Building (The Print Collector/Getty Images)

He added: "Look at that, how beautiful that is with a coat of paint. It's all painting. Most of it's painting. It's cleaning and pointing and painting. It needs other work. Look at that, how beautiful that is."

The white paint would certainly be a departure from the building's current look, and Trump argued that 'what it does is it brings out all the detail'.

But experts have warned that there's a problem - the type of paint that Trump wants to use is not suitable for this surface, and could cause 'permanent damage'.

CNN reported that experts said 'mineral silicate paints are not suited for use on granite', as the paint would not properly bond to the granite surface.

They added that this kind of paint would also result in stains which are 'likely to be much more visible on paint than on the existing granite surface.