During his first term, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump removed a significant portion of Jackie Kennedy's Rose Garden at the White House. Now, the second term has removed another tree, and pavers are being placed, reported Daily Mail reporter Emily Goodin.
In February, The New York Times reported that the Trump team was planning to make more changes to the iconic Rose Garden to craft a patio in the Mar-a-Lago style.
Trump told staff his desire to tear up the grass in the Rose Garden and cover it with a solid surface.
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He is weighing whether it should be “limestone or an easily interchangeable hard surface, with the possibility of installing hardwood floors for dancing,” according to the Times.
"A saucer Magnolia tree planted as a set of four to commemorate JFK has now been removed and replaced in the Rose Garden. Before and after pics," detailed freelancer Andrew Leyden on X with before and after photographs on Monday.
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss attacked the Trump administration for trashing the White House for the Republican National Convention camera shots in 2020.
Trump wanted a shot of him and Melania Trump walking through the colonnade to the Rose Garden during the convention, said Beschloss at the time. That proved to be impossible because Kennedy's crab apple trees blocked the view from the cameras. So, they "yanked" them out along with all of the other vegetation. A path was put in its place. Later, the White House blamed the renovation on an "irrigation" issue.
Critics weren't happy.
"Unbelievable. He [is] ripping up history to put down concrete so he can turn the Rose Garden into Mar a Lago," lamented political strategist and radio host Chris D. Jackson.
"There's no end to this man's vulgarity. Inspired by Mar-a-Lago, Trump wants to pave over the grassy part of the Rose Garden," complained journalist and radio host Doug Henwood.
Last week, the "Jackson Magnolia, the oldest tree on the White House grounds, was removed by the National Park Service," Leyden observed at the time, posting photos on X.