The White House Rose Garden has long been the envy of visiting world leaders. Formerly a stable for horses and coaches, the area was turned into a garden after the rise of the automobiles in the early 20th century, but during the Kennedy administration became a symbol of John and Jacqueline’s style.
When the Kennedys arrived at the White House, they were shocked to see that the grounds were in disrepair, with the new First Lady promptly rolling up her sleeves and organizing a full redesign. With the help of horticulturalists Rachel Lambert Mellon and Perry Wheeler, she created what’s come to be known as the “Rose Garden”.
Jackie Kennedy’s contributions to the White House gardens were so respected that her successor as First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, renamed the east garden “Jacqueline Kennedy Garden” in her honor. Since then, the Rose Garden has been one of the most carefully maintained and picturesque areas of the White House grounds and was considered a true national treasure. And Donald Trump just paved over it.
Trump just destroyed the Rose Garden by paving over it. pic.twitter.com/szU1dKD2tv
— MissChris (@guelphgirlchris) June 19, 2025
Yup, depressing images from the grounds show that lovingly tended plants have now been torn up by earth-movers and gravel poured over the remains, and what’s left will soon be paved over completely. The absurd argument for doing this is that the Rose Garden plants were being harmed by people standing on them during state functions, so to prevent that, they’re simply ripping them all out and replacing them with a soulless concrete yard.
Or, to paraphrase a notorious quote from the Vietnam War: “It became necessary to destroy the garden to save it.”
88 feet huh? Oddly specific number…
Trump is also taking advantage of the building works to install two new flagpoles, which have been confirmed to each be 88 feet high. It is a real mystery why they felt the need to specify that exact number to the public, though frankly we’re surprised there aren’t 14 of them.
But Trump’s interior design plans don’t stop there. He’s also said he has ambitions to gut part of the White House to build an extravagant new ballroom to host events, effectively letting him transform the seat of power into a warped version of Mar-a-Lago.
Whatever else is happening, we can only feel like the nation has lost something with the destruction of the Rose Garden. Jackie Kennedy’s grave is situated near her husband’s in Arlington National Cemetery. Perhaps someone should go and put an ear to the ground there, as I suspect you’ll hear the frantic whirring of spinning from her coffin…
