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Did Kamala Harris get her own Resolute Desk? A look at West Wing desk crafted with wood from USS Constitution

'Does she need it to address border crisis?' asked a user

Vice President Kamala Harris now has her own desk made of materials from historic US warships, built by Navy Seabees in the model of the famous Resolute Desk that sits in the Oval Office. Harris's desk was put together using wood, copper and nails taken from the USS Constitution, which was commissioned under George Washington in 1794. The materials have now found their home in the desk, which was delivered to the White House in February.

It now sits in the vice president's office in the West Wing of the White House. Harris had tweeted from her official account about the piece of history on March 27, stating: "For all you history buffs: the desk in my West Wing office was constructed by the @USNavy  out of reclaimed materials from the USS Constitution warship. On this day in 1794, President George Washington signed the Naval Act which authorized construction of the USS Constitution."

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What is the Vice President's Resolute Desk?

The desk features intricate patriotic carvings of eagles and stars, reminiscent of the Constitution's stern decorations, and is made of using wood, copper and nails taken from the frigate's two renovations between 2007 and 2017, reported Military.com, citing Paul Taylor, a spokesman for Naval History and Heritage Command, which led the project.

The USS Constitution, dubbed “Old Ironsides” by poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, was launched in 1797 in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the country's first frigates and remains the oldest commissioned warship still afloat. The desk also includes a pen tray made from a piece of the USS Arizona that was sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers at Pearl Harbor in 1941, during the end of the Second World War, reported the Daily Mail. The wreckage still lies on the seabed in Hawaii. 

Who built it?

The desk project was approved under Donald Trump and Seabees began construction began January 4. The desk was the brainchild of Donald Trump's Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite, the Military Times reported. It was completed after he left the position and was thus received by acting Navy Secretary Thomas Harker. It was constructed in the Washington Navy Yard.

The workspace is one of two "heritage desks" constructed this year, the second being for the Navy secretary that, besides parts from the USS Constitution, also includes materials from the frigate Chesapeake, battleships Texas, New Jersey and Arizona and sloop of war Constellation, the report said. "The importance of their job can affect everything we do," Navy Builder 1st Class Hilary Lemelin, who's assigned to the Constitution, said in a statement about the project. "It's a piece of history now."

Was the desk really needed?

Netizens took to Twitter to share their views on the piece of custom-made furniture in the vice president's office. Sharing a photo of a similar-looking desk, one said, "Looks like he set up a resolute desk knockoff in a room at a mid range Florida resort. Sad." Another opined, "I wonder how many ppl were forced/threatened to make the Commie Puppet President @VP her unholy #ResoluteDesk.".

"Why did Kamala Harris just get an expensive new “Resolute” desk made from historical American artifacts — does she need it to start addressing the border crisis?" said another. "I like that everyday she sits at the desk, she will be reminded of Trump...," quipped a third.