Trump Has a Specific Reason for Changing the Iconic White House Rose Garden

Every time a new president enters the White House, whether it's their first or second term, they have the right to change some things as they see fit. Usually, those changes are in the Oval Office. But when Donald Trump took those changes to other parts of the property, including paving over part of the famed Rose Garden, the move left some people scratching their heads. So, why did Trump pave over the Rose Garden?

The Rose Garden was first planted in 1913 by former First Lady Ellen Wilson, according to the National Park Service. Later, in 1962, during former President John F. Kennedy's presidency, the garden was renovated. Over time, it became a special place on the White House grounds, and it's a spot where White House guests and reporters sometimes congregate. For some, the change under Trump's plans felt totally unexpected and unnecessary.

In March 2025, Trump's planned renovation of the Rose Garden began. It wasn't until August 2025 that photos surfaced of the finished design, which took out a good chunk of the grass in the garden. In March, Trump spoke with Fox News to share details of his changes to the White House grounds. At the time, the Rose Garden's renovation was just beginning.

"What was happening is, that's supposed to have events," Trump explained, of the central area of the Rose Garden where there was a large portion of grass. "Every event you have, it's soaking wet, and the women with the high heels, it's just too much."

According to Trump, when there was wet grass during press conferences and events at the Rose Garden, the heels of shoes would often sink in the grass. To combat that, he made plans to have some of the garden paved over.

He did clarify during his White House tour with Fox News, however, that the actual roses in the Rose Garden would stay. He shared at the time that "just the center section" would go. When photos surfaced in August of the finished renovation, the center section was paved over with quite a bit of stone. Some of Trump's critics weren't happy with the change, even if roses remain in the Rose Garden.

The account on X (formerly Twitter) called Republicans Against Trump posted, along with photos of the paved-over garden section, "My God. This is the White House Rose Garden after Trump's 'overhaul.' Stripped, paved, lifeless. Everything Trump touches dies."

Political content creator Harry Sisson posted on his X account, "Wow. The Rose Garden renovation by Trump is absolutely appalling. He removed a beautiful piece of the White House and replaced it with concrete c--p. I'm glad I got to see the Rose Garden in person before Trump did this because this is just gross."

The finished Rose Garden renovation came hot on the heels of the White House plans to expand the ballroom. According to The New York Times, Trump announced plans to spend $200 million to create a 90,000-square-foot ballroom at the White House. While reports say Trump shared that the ballroom would be privately funded, it was still cause for concern among some as another historic change.

The official press account for California Governor Gavin Newsom on X shared a post with an image of Effie Trinket from the dystopian movie franchise The Hunger Games to comment on the ballroom news. The post features a photo of the ballroom plans in her hands and places her in the White House press room, a la press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"While all the Districts pay extra for groceries and everyday goods, the White House is excited to announce that the Capitol is creating a grand ballroom for opulent parties!" The post says, with wordage in reference to the films. "May the odds be ever in your favor!!!"