Barack Obama took a swipe at President Donald Trump’s gold-themed White House renovations in a behind-the-scenes video released Monday to promote HBO’s comedy miniseries Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, joking about one of the administration’s most noticeable design changes.

The promotional footage shows Obama walking through a recreation of the Oval Office as it looked during his presidency. After looking around the set, he complimented the production team for its attention to detail, even noting the bowl of apples that had sat on his coffee table during his time in office.

“Nice job on the recreation,” Obama said. “You even have the apples. It’s fantastic.”

Obama then joked that one modern feature was missing from the replica.

“Although I do want to point out there’s no gold sign on the outside that says ‘Oval Office,'” Obama said as members of the production crew laughed. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

His remark referenced the gold cursive “Oval Office” lettering installed outside the entrance to the office on the West Wing late last year. The permanent sign, visible from the Rose Garden, replaced a temporary paper version and matches the style of the lettering used along President Trump’s Presidential Walk of Fame on the West Colonnade.

The sign is one of several decorative changes made to the White House during Trump’s second term. The president also added gold trim around the Oval Office doors, above the fireplace mantel, and along portions of the ceiling. During a March 2025 tour of the White House with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump defended the redesign.

“It needed a little life,” Trump said.

Other changes to the White House grounds include replacing the Rose Garden lawn with stone paving and creating the Presidential Walk of Fame, featuring gold-framed portraits and inscriptions honoring America’s presidents along the West Wing colonnade.

The administration’s most ambitious renovation plan is the construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site formerly occupied by the East Wing, which was demolished last October. According to The Associated Press, the estimated price tag for the project has climbed to approximately $400 million.

Last Friday, a divided federal appeals court upheld a preliminary injunction preventing above-ground construction on the ballroom while a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation continues.

In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court concluded that the administration likely lacks the legal authority to proceed with the project without congressional approval. The ruling permits underground work related to security to continue and temporarily stayed the injunction for 14 days to allow the administration to seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court.

President Trump has said he intends to appeal the ruling.

Obama appears as himself in HBO’s seven-episode comedy series, which uses Larry David’s signature style of humor to parody moments from American history. After making a brief appearance in the premiere, Obama returned in the season finale for a sketch offering a fictional explanation for the tan suit he famously wore during a 2014 White House news conference.

In the comedy sketch, Larry David portrays a presidential aide who accidentally spills a smoothie on Obama’s navy suit, leaving him with no choice but to wear the tan suit instead.

According to HBO, the series was written by Larry David and Jeff Schaffer, who also served as executive producers, with Schaffer directing the project. Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, Ethan Lewis, and Vinnie Malhotra also served as executive producers through Higher Ground. All seven episodes are now available for streaming on HBO.

{Matzav.com}