Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has been on a mission to renovate — including an overhaul of the iconic Rose Garden, where work is nearly complete.
Trump has swapped out the grass in the Rose Garden with stone, turning what had been a lawn into a patio. And it’s a patio that bears a striking resemblance to a popular feature at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.
By Trump’s telling, getting rid of the grass was a necessity, because it got too soggy for fine footwear.
“You see the women?” Trump said in a February interview with The Spectator magazine. “The grass was wet. Their heels are going through the grass, like, four inches deep.”
Wearers of stilettos need not worry about sinking anymore. The $1.9 million project replaced the lawn with paving stones, laid on the diagonal. New drainage systems installed around the perimeter are covered with white grates with a Stars and Stripes motif.
“It’s a stone that’s the same color as the White House itself. And because it’s very white it’s going to reflect the heat. It’s not going to be very hot, like if you had a dark stone,” Trump explained recently.
The project is the latest modification Trump has made to the White House. The Oval Office is now thoroughly gilded, and he has plans to build a new $200 million ballroom.
The Kennedys revamped the Rose Garden
The Rose Garden, with the large lawn in the center, edged by flower beds, dates back to the Kennedy administration. Before that it had been more of a basic garden and less of an events space.
“President Kennedy wanted an outdoor room,” said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. “He wanted a space where you could have outdoor meetings, receptions, events.”
President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy worked with their friend and noted gardener Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon to revamp the garden. That design included large magnolia trees and dozens of rose bushes.
Over the decades, the roses had suffered from a lack of sunlight and poor drainage, according to the Trust for the National Mall, a philanthropy. Only 12 of the original rose bushes remained in 2020 when first lady Melania Trump oversaw a major restoration project meant to return it to the Kennedy/Mellon vision.
Funded by private donations to the Trust, the first lady added 200 new roses and formal boxwood parterre borders with perennial and annual plantings. Critics said a new stone border around the edge was too stark. But as the plants have matured, the garden is once again vibrant.
A space for press conferences and signing ceremonies
Over the years, the Rose Garden has hosted countless press conferences and signing ceremonies. During Trump’s first term, it even served as a backdrop for a photo op when Frank Giaccio, 11, set his sights on mowing the lawn at the White House, and Trump made his dream come true. The images went viral.
While the lawn is now gone, the flowers aren’t going anywhere. Only the grass was removed. The cost of this work is also being covered by private donations to the Trust for the National Mall. This time, it was Trump — not the first lady — who was the driving force.
Earlier this week, music blasted from the White House as Trump tested out a new speaker system for the patio. Trump can play DJ from his iPad, just like he does at Mar-a-Lago. The Rose Garden also features patio tables with yellow-and-white striped umbrellas, a perfect match to the space at Mar-a-Lago known as the Beach Club.
McLaurin acknowledged this change may be jarring. But he said many changes at the White House that were controversial at first later became viewed as essential features of the People’s House, including the West Wing, the Colonnade, the North and South Porticos.
“It’s not frozen in time,” said McLaurin. “It evolves and it changes. And different presidents and first ladies have different ideas.”
Transcript:
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
President Trump has replaced the grass in the iconic White House Rose Garden with stone. It’s a nearly $2 million project and just the latest of many modifications Trump is making to the White House. NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith reports.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has been on a mission, a mission to renovate. And that includes the Rose Garden. By Trump’s telling, getting rid of the grass was a necessity because it got too soggy in the rain. Here he was in an interview with The Spectator magazine in February.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We had the press here yesterday. You see the women? They’re going crazy. The grass was wet. Their heels are going right through the grass like 4 inches deep.
KEITH: Wearers of stilettos need not worry about sinking anymore. The grass has been replaced with gleaming white stone. New drainage systems are covered with white grates with a stars-and-stripes motif.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: And it’s a beautiful white stone. And it’s a stone that’s the same color as the White House itself. And because it’s very white, it’s going to reflect the heat. It’s not going to be very hot, like if you had a dark stone. So, yeah, we’ve gotten great reviews on the Rose Garden.
KEITH: The Rose Garden, with the large lawn in the center edged by flower beds, dates back to the Kennedy administration.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOHN F KENNEDY: The garden is filled with some of your old friends from the Congress.
KEITH: At this 1963 event, President John F. Kennedy gave comedian Bob Hope a congressional medal. Kennedy is the one who made it less of a garden and more of an event space. Stewart McLaurin is president of the White House Historical Association.
STEWART MCLAURIN: President Kennedy wanted an outdoor room. He wanted a space where you could have outdoor meetings, receptions, events.
KEITH: The garden remained largely unchanged until the first Trump term, when first lady Melania Trump led an effort to restore it. She added drainage, hedges and 200 new rose bushes. Trump recently boasted about the blooms when introducing his wife at an event.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: You know, she took a lot of heat. She did it. It was so gorgeous. And they couldn’t, these people couldn’t do that if they tried. And those flowers were blooming. I said, how the hell? Two weeks ago, this was, like, beautiful green, but it was – and now it just happened so quickly. But you did some job.
KEITH: Those flowers aren’t going anywhere. Only the grass was removed. The $1.9 million price tag is being covered by private donations to the Trust for the National Mall, which also paid for the earlier overhaul. And while the first lady was a driving force last time, this project is all President Trump.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GOD BLESS THE U.S.A”)
LEE GREENWOOD: (Singing) Defend her still today…
KEITH: Earlier this week, music blasted from the White House as Trump tested out a new speaker system for the deck. Trump can play DJ from his iPad, just like he does at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort. The Rose Garden also has patio tables now with yellow and white striped umbrellas, a perfect match to the space at Mar-a-Lago known as The Beach Club. McLaurin acknowledges this change may be jarring. But he says many changes at the White House that were controversial at the time have become essential parts of the people’s house. The West Wing, the Colonnade, the North and South Porticos, all of those were add-ons.
MCLAURIN: It’s not frozen in time. It evolves, and it changes. And different presidents and first ladies have different ideas.
KEITH: And Trump has had many different ideas. There are plans to add a ballroom, and the Oval Office is now thoroughly gilded.
Tamara Keith, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF JON BRION’S “ROSE GARDEN”)