The iconic White House Rose Garden is now more of a rose display area after President Donald Trump paved over the grass expanse.
Trump discussed his plans for the space, which sits outside the Oval Office, when he gave Fox News personality Laura Ingraham a White House tour in March. At the time, some construction was underway and Trump explained that he felt ditching the greenery would improve events in the space.
“Every event you have, it’s soaking wet, it’s soaking wet, and people can’t — and the women with the high heels, it just didn’t work,” Trump said.
Trump further added that “people fall into the wet” and declared, “grass, it just doesn’t work.”
Now, as the gallery below shows, the grass has been replaced with paving stones.
The Rose Garden was established by First Lady Ellen Wilson in 1913. It was redesigned by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962. Since then, the space has been the backdrop for everything from the wedding of President Richard Nixon’s daughter, Tricia, to President Jimmy Carter’s Mideast peace talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Anwar Sadat, to President Barack Obama’s “Beer Summit.”
In Trump’s first term, the Rose Garden played host to many memorable moments including former White House aide Sebastian Gorka’s screaming match with a Playboy reporter, a ceremony unveiling Trump’s nomination of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, which became a superspreader event that caused a COVID outbreak throughout the government, and the indelible photo of the president appearing to shout at the little lawn mower boy. So many incredible memories.
While the roses ringing the space will remain, with the work nearly finished, we are now getting to see the results of Trump’s paved over makeover. Various critics have largely offered scathing reviews, but Trump, perhaps with visions of clicking high heels in his head, was confident of his vision when he discussed it earlier this year.
“I think it’s going to be beautiful. I think it’s going to be more beautiful,” Trump said.
See for yourself below.
Sept. 2017: Donald Trump and the lawn mower kid, a memorable Rose Garden moment
May 1, 2025: One of the last official events in the Rose Garden
May 19, 2025
June 9, 2025: Workers break ground
June 10, 2025
June 17, 2025
June 20, 2025
June 20, 2025
June 20, 2025
June 20, 2025
July 15, 2025
July 22, 2025
July 23, 2025
July 29, 2025
Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the nickname for President Nixon’s daughter, who goes by Tricia.
Pathetic! Among other things, it will be unbearably hot and bright there. Maybe he can do something about that too.
ETTD. Fuck this guy and his redecoration.
God forbid that women in the former rose garden would not be able to wear the high heels that best show off their legs for the consumption of the predator-in-chief.
https://genius.com/Manfred-manns-earth-band-lies-through-the-80s-lyrics
https://genius.com/Joni-mitchell-big-yellow-taxi-lyrics
Has the moron never heard of temporarily installing outdoor flooring like they do for weddings? What a fucking menace.