President Donald Trump took executive action on Thursday to designate the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room of the White House as historic landmarks through the Antiquities Act, he announced during a signing ceremony.

"I view the White House as a very important symbol of our country,” he told reporters.

The action comes as there have been multiple renovations done in Trump’s second term at the White House, including the ongoing construction of a ballroom where the East Wing used to be located, as well as a helipad on the South Lawn for Marine One.

While in the Oval Office, the president took questions ranging from the conflict in Iran to the Russia-Ukraine War.

“I can't tell you what I discussed, but I'm just telling you, it's going to be a big agreement, and it's going to involve more than Ukraine. I could even say it might involve all of Europe,” the president said, confirming that he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, while he was at the White House for the First Lady’s Oleshky ceasefire event on Thursday.

On Iran, he said he “would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to.”

“You will know soon enough,” he continued.

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This is the president’s second public comment to reporters after the midterms, in which Republicans lost major races throughout the United States, including in reliably red states like Texas and Iowa.