Trump transforms the White House Rose Garden with white stone and yellow umbrellas

BarcelonaThe White House Rose Garden is no longer the green space Jackie Kennedy envisioned in the 1960s. After months of construction, President Donald Trump has completed a controversial renovation that has turned the lawn into a white stone patio, with yellow and white striped umbrellas reminiscent of those at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt showed reporters the new space as songs chosen by Trump himself played over the loudspeakers, such asIn whiter shade of pale, by Procol Harum. According to the magazinePeople, the US president took the opportunity to "test out the new sound system" and prepare for what he himself has described as "the best event in the history of the White House."

Images of the remodeled garden, published this week, have gone viral on social media. The umbrellas, identical to those at Mar-a-Lago, have been the subject of comments and comparisons with restaurant terraces. When questioned by reporters, Leavitt acknowledged that "they are literally the Mar-a-Lago umbrellas," before clarifying that, in fact, they were purchased from the same supplier, but that they are not the ones from Florida.

Trump, for his part, maintains that the reform responds to a practical need. "When we had a press conference, you were stuck in the mud," he declared on August 3, according toUSA Today"It was grass and it was always wet. If it rained, it would take four or five days to dry and we couldn't use the garden for its intended purpose." The new paving, he says, is "a white stone, the same color as the White House" and will reflect heat to avoid extreme temperatures.

The current transformation represents the most radical change to the Rose Garden since 1961, when Jackie Kennedy, with designer Rachel Bunny Mellon devised the design that became iconic: a large central lawn surrounded by rosebushes and trees that became the setting for receptions, speeches, and press conferences.

This isn't the first time the Trump family has redesigned the garden. In 2020, Melania Trump spearheaded a renovation criticized for removing the apple trees and adding a limestone walkway around the garden. Now, with the lawn gone and elements evoking the Mar-a-Lago style incorporated, the Rose Garden is closer to a private patio than a historic White House garden.

According to USA TodayThe cost of the project, funded by the Trust for the National Mall—the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS), has not been made public, although that organization has invested more than $75 million in restorations since 2007. Trump added that it is receiving "very good reviews" and that the space is ready. Melania Trump, according to the spokesperson, "is pleased" with the result. "The rosebushes are still there," says Leavitt, who confirms that the space retains its original name.

The Rose Garden controversy comes during a year of cosmetic changes to the White House. Trump has redecorated the Oval Office with gold embroidery and announced a project to build a grand ballroom that will cost $200 million and is scheduled to begin construction in September, financed—he says—with private money and his own contributions.