Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office: What are the additions?
Washington, D.C.: Donald Trump, now serving as the 47th President of the United States, has revamped the Oval Office as part of his return to the White House. His modifications include a portrait of Andrew Jackson, a choice previously criticised due to Jackson's history as a slave owner and his role in the forced displacement of Native Americans.
Trump's Oval Office now features portraits of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson. The bust of Winston Churchill has been reinstated, while Martin Luther King Jr.'s bust remains in place. A sculpture titled The Bronco Buster by Frederic Remington is positioned under Jackson's portrait. Meanwhile, a bust of Robert F. Kennedy, which was displayed during Joe Biden's presidency, has been removed.
The President has personalised the space with silver eagle figurines, a square paperweight bearing his name, and family photos near the Resolute Desk. The gold curtains from his first term have been retained, replacing Biden’s blue rug with a neutral-coloured one used during Ronald Reagan's presidency.
Trump’s famous "Diet Coke" button, which signals White House staff to serve his favourite beverage, is back on his desk. Outside the Oval Office, Biden’s chocolate chip cookies have been replaced with flowers and a gold paperweight embossed with "Trump."
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
