MLK Bust Quietly Removed from Oval Office Under Trump

The iconic bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once a focal point in the Oval Office during the Obama and Biden years, has been relocated.

By  April Ryan

The bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been moved out of the Oval Office, where it had been since the second term of the Bill Clinton administration. A senior White House official says the bust now sits in President Donald Trump’s private dining room, just off the Oval Office.

When asked for proof of the position of the art, the official said they did not take pictures inside the private residential areas of the White House or West Wing.

Previously, the Biden and Obama administrations prominently placed the famous bust next to the fireplace in the Oval Office. The artwork was frequently captured in videos and pictures during meetings with those presidents and other leaders.

This bust is just one of many pieces of artwork around 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., which is not only the president’s home but also a living museum. The bust has been on a long-term loan from the Smithsonian to the White House since 2000. It was the first image of an African American on public display at the White House. The bust was created by African-American artist Charles Alston in 1970, two years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

That bronze bust of Dr. King has resided in various areas of the White House, from the library on the lower floor to the Oval Office in the West Wing. The King bust has never been positioned on the State Floor of the White House because Martin Luther King Jr. was a civilian.