Construction is underway at the White House Rose Garden as U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) arrives following a visit to North Carolina, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Bulldozers bit into the lawn of the Rose Garden Monday, ripping through a two-century-old garden that had witnessed Lincoln and hosted Kennedy's playing children so that President Trump could put in a new patio with flagpoles.
Donald Trump's latest project was slammed by critics as another shameless attempt to turn America's most sacred spaces into a tacky replica of his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump personally inspected the destruction, boasting to reporters about his "beautiful" flagpoles that he insists the White House has "needed for 200 years"—despite the fact that American and POW/MIA flags already fly on the building's roof daily.
His justification for destroying the historic lawn is that women in high heels can't walk on wet grass without falling. "The grass just, it doesn't work," he told Fox News in March.
The Rose Garden has served as the backdrop for countless presidential moments—bill signings, press conferences, state dinners, and award ceremonies that have shaped American history.
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