Donald Trump had a career as a real estate mogul, but he clearly lacks taste. To say that his idea of beauty is to plaster cement and gold at every possible surface makes no sense to anyone with even a little idea of décor and beauty as he has done with the iconic Rose Garden. And the internet is done praising him for his stupid idea.
The White House shared the “updated” images of the once lush rose garden, which has welcomed dignitaries and musicians alike, and now looks like a parking lot of a cheap roadside motel.
The rose garden has been a historic part of the white house that has been completely paved over. The renovation was carried out under Donald Trump’s ‘supervision’ replacing the once-vibrant green space with concrete slabs. It has understandably sparked fierce backlash from historians, garden enthusiasts, and political critics alike.
Trump turned Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden into a parking lot.
Who else LOVED the Rose Garden the way it was? Reply with 💙 pic.twitter.com/DJy2WrweBf
— A (@bluhue123) August 3, 2025
However, Donald Trump remains oblivious to the heavy criticism. On his way from his Bedminster, New Jersey, estate, Trump spoke to a reporter and brushed off the negative comments. He claims that people have been raving about the ‘new’ Rose Garden.
“We’re getting great reviews of the Rose Garden,” he insisted. “And we had to do it.”
However, the images tell the story of a thousand words. There is no more lush green carpet of freshly cut grass, and gone are the rows of flowers. Something that has been there to tell the tales of time since the Kennedy era has been reduced to a cement pavement.
Trump: We’re getting great reviews on the rose garden pic.twitter.com/dg0BqW8QN9
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 4, 2025
The iconic Rose Garden was commissioned by President John F. Kennedy and designed by Jackie Kennedy in the 1960s. It had long served as the symbol of American elegance and diplomacy. The Rose Garden showcased its beauty with blooming flowers, boxwood hedges, and a central lawn, and it hosted presidential addresses and royal visits.
The first redesign during Trump’s first term when First Lady Melania Trump introduced limestone pavement felt too much of a change to the garden but that change still preserved the essential character of the garden. However, the current overhaul has stripped the garden of its beauty entirely.
Destroying a magnificent Rose Garden, overseen by Jackie Kennedy is a malicious act. Did her expensive high heels sink into the grass necessitating ugly concrete. The flowering cherry tree, clusters of spring bulbs and Rose bushes..hopefully Dr Biden will restore it pic.twitter.com/brHf6M1Voh
— BXSCIHS12💙 (@maxhart74116542) January 18, 2021
Users online have not taken this lightly and have criticized the president on every social media platform. They have called Trump’s idea of redesign and branding, ‘bleak’ and ‘hideous’.
One viral post called it the “rose concrete pavement.”
Many have called it not just poor taste but also bulldozing the history of the White House.
At a time when people were encouraged to plant a garden to sustain the environment and the bees, Donald Trump went 10 steps backward.
“This was a space designed for reflection, diplomacy, and beauty. Now it looks like a mall parking lot,” said one former White House staffer, speaking anonymously.
The Rose Garden is just one of several White House renovations Trump has taken under his wing. Trump has already replaced President Joe Biden‘s tasteful marble-and-plaster décor with golden figurines and gaudy embellishments, and more opulence may be on the way.
