Former ‘New York Times’ Writer Under Fire For ‘Xenophobic’ Attack On Melania Trump’s Rose Garden Renovations
Former New York Times writer Kurt Eichenwald is facing backlash after his sharp criticism of Melania Trump’s renovations to the White House Rose Garden were decried as “xenophobic” by supporters of the first lady and fellow journalists.
As the New York Post reported, the former senior reporter-turned-bestselling author called the renovations to the famed garden a “destruction of our history” and claimed that no other first lady “would have the gall to do” what Trump did in giving the area a pared-down look that favored more simple bushes and flowers over the more color-filled look it had previously.
He continued by calling out Trump’s status as an immigrant, saying he could not believe a woman who had only been a U.S. citizen since the middle of George W. Bush’s second term would have “the audacity to wreck the Rose Garden.”
“This is the first time I have been furious that @FLOTUS is a foreigner. She has no right to wreck our history,” Eichenwald wrote.
Though his tweet was later deleted, it still stirred controversy and led to condemnation for what many saw as xenophobia. CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who has not been shy in criticism of the White House in the past, replied to the tweet by saying it appeared bigoted against immigrants.
“This is xenophobic and wrong. It’s bigotry,” he tweeted.
“Call Melania awful, fine. Call her a hypocrite, fine. But don’t question her naturalized citizenship or suggest immigrants have second-class or inferior citizenship rights to the rest of the citizenry,” he tweeted. “That’s totally wrong and a dangerous path to go down, sorry.”
The former New York Times writer is a frequent critic of President Donald Trump and the White House, using his social media feed to air attacks on policy stances and the president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
While Eichenwald faced widespread criticism for the tone of his tweet, many others joined in voicing their displeasure of the aesthetic of the new renovations.
As The Inquisitr reported, many believed that her changes took away the bright and colorful look that had been in place since a design overseen by Jackie Kennedy. Some compared the new look to a “putting green,” devoid of character and without the iconic trees that had come to mark its look for the past several decades.
