[disown]

For the first few decades, any citizen could. You could literally go to the white house or congress and get an audience with the president or congressman. Of course you'd also pretty much have to be anglo-saxon protestant for that privilege. After all, the idea was that these people were your employees. But that was when the country was much smaller.

> Why not the allow people to walk into the oval office?

They do. Call up your congressman and get set up a schedule.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/tours-event...

They still want to keep up the illusion that the government works for the people.