Trump returns Churchill bust to the Oval Office
President Trump has returned a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the Oval Office, which had been removed by his predecessor in 2009.
Reporters first noticed that the bust had been placed back in the room on Friday, just as Trump was signing a series of executive orders at the Resolute desk.
Obama had moved the bust to the White House residence during his first few days in office and later installed separate busts of Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lincoln in its place.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed last week that Trump had personally asked if England would loan the bust of Churchill to the U.S. once he took office.
“The Prime Minister is happy to loan the Churchill bust to the White House and will be delighted to view it on display when she visits this Spring,” the spokesperson said.
Obama’s removal of Churchill’s bust created a wave of controversy during the first few weeks of his presidency. He later denied that it was meant as snub to America’s closest ally.
“I love Winston Churchill. I love the guy,” the former president said at a press conference with then-British Prime Minister David Cameron last April.