Fact Check: Did Trump 'steal' the Resolute Desk to display at Mar-a-Lago?

WASHINGTON, DC: Once a glamorous 1920s estate inspired by European architecture, the 20-acre Mar-a-Lago property is now best known as Donald Trump’s Florida retreat.

Since acquiring the sprawling estate for about $10 million in 1985, Trump has poured millions more into preserving and enhancing the property's grandeur.

While Trump has long referred to his Palm Beach resort as the "Winter White House," critics claim he has gone a step further by attempting to recreate the look and feel of the Oval Office at Mar-a-Lago.

An image circulating online has suggested that Trump moved the historic Resolute Desk from the Oval Office and placed it on display at Mar-a-Lago. As the claim spread across social media platforms, many users questioned the authenticity of the image. Here's a fact check.

Claim: Trump stole Resolute Desk to display at Mar-a-Lago

Posts circulating on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads shared a photo of an ornate desk cordoned off by ropes, claiming Trump had "stolen" the historic Resolute Desk and placed it in the lobby of his Florida resort.

With a caption reading, “he stole the Resolute Desk,” one user shared the image, claiming, “Trump announced in February 2025 that he temporarily removed the Resolute Desk from the Oval Office and installed the C&O Desk in its place, which was previously used by President George HW Bush. He explained that the desks were being swapped because the Resolute Desk needed to be ‘lightly refurbished.’”

“Now, nine months later, it's been spotted in a picture taken from inside Mar-a-Lago,” the post further alleged. The post has garnered more than 14,000 likes and has become the source for numerous other social media posts and YouTube videos.

Fact check: False, Trump didn’t steal the Resolute Desk

While Trump has indeed kept a Resolute Desk at Mar-a-Lago as a decorative piece, reports indicate it is a replica of the historic desk that Queen Victoria gifted to President Rutherford B Hayes in 1880.

Relocating the Resolute Desk, a historic, 1,300-pound piece crafted from the timbers of a British Royal Navy ship, would be nearly impossible without attracting attention from the White House press corps or the public.

Although the White House temporarily removed the Resolute Desk from the Oval Office in February 2025 for what it described as "light refurbishing," Getty Images photographs show the historic desk had returned by March.

Additional images from June 2026 also show Trump seated behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

Claims about the desk at Mar-a-Lago were first examined by Snopes in late 2025. Following the publication of its report, French cabinetmaker Remi Le Forestier contacted the outlet, asserting that the desk shown in the viral image was actually a Resolute Desk replica he had crafted.

According to Le Forestier, the replica was delivered directly to Mar-a-Lago in early 2025. He provided photos, videos, and what appeared to be a signed thank-you letter from Trump to support his claim.

Le Forestier said he was "100% sure" the desk displayed in the Mar-a-Lago lobby was his work. He pointed to the desk pad, photos showing the desk in the exact same location as seen in the viral image, and other identifying details he recognized.