President Donald Trump is determined to put his unique style stamp on every space he occupies—even if it means (literally) bulldozing more than 100 years of history.
In addition to a $200 million ballroom in the East Wing of the White House and his revamped—and very gold—Oval Office, Trump has been redesigning the iconic Rose Garden so that it more closely resembles the patio at Mar-a-Lago, which means replacing much of the existing lawn with concrete pavers.
Speaking to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in March about the decision to pave over the Rose Garden, which was established in 1913 by First Lady Ellen Wilson, Trump explained his reasoning centered on the needs of high heel-clad female guests.
“What was happening is, that’s supposed to have events. Every event you have, it’s soaking wet,” he explained of the historic 7,500 square foot area near the South Lawn, adding, “It’s soaking wet... and the women with the high heels, it’s just too much.”
The Rose Garden was last renovated during Trump’s first term by first lady Melania Trump. Those changes consisted of a new, ADA-compliant limestone path around the outside of the lawn, the relocation of crabapple trees planted during the Kennedy administration, and the addition of white and pink roses.
Even those changes drew criticism, with historian Michael Beschloss calling it an “evisceration” that saw “decades of American history… disappear.”
Trump’s newest changes have prompted similar criticism, with a former executive at NBCUniversal tweeting, “Everything Trump touches dies.”
Another tweet reads, “I will vote for any Democrat who promises to destroy and tear down the Trump ballroom. Also, tear up the Trump rose garden and put it back the way Jackie had it.”
Prior to Melania’s 2020 renovation, the Rose Garden was most radically redesigned in 1961 by First Lady Jackie Kennedy, who established the layout Americans are most familiar with.
Horticulturalist Rachel Lambert Mellon, who was tasked with the redesign, said President John F. Kennedy asked her to remake the Rose Garden into an area that was both “useful and attractive” after being inspired by gardens he’d seen on a recent state visit to Europe.
Since then, the Rose Garden has hosted countless events, including press conferences and meetings, with presidents often photographed showing visiting politicians and dignitaries the jewel in the White House’s crown.
The new patio looks barren. Save for a few tables and chairs crowded at one end, it’s a large, empty space—leading many critics to recall the first lines of Joni Mitchell’s 1970 hit “Big Yellow Taxi”: “They paved paradise / And put up a parking lot.”
