Not Everyone Is Happy With Melania Trump's Changes to the Rose Garden

Elisa Lewittes

August 23, 2020 at 11:58 AM·3 min read

In anticipation of her speech for the Republican National Convention, Melania Trump decided to refresh the White House Rose Garden to mark the occasion. While crafting the redesign, the current First Lady opted to remove some of the iconic fixtures planted by Jackie Kennedy. To announce these modifications, she took to Twitter to share the Rose Garden’s new look.

Excited to honor history & celebrate the future in our beautiful @WhiteHouse Rose Garden this evening. Thank you to all who helped renew this iconic & truly gorgeous space. pic.twitter.com/ggiqLkdGbw
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— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 22, 2020

“Excited to honor history & celebrate the future in our beautiful @WhiteHouse Rose Garden this evening. Thank you to all who helped renew this iconic & truly gorgeous space,” Trump wrote to caption the image.

And these modifications were met with a considerable amount of backlash. From Twitter, it seems that a large segment of the American public was not happy about it and wants Trump to wake up to smell the roses.

…those were Jackie Kennedy's crab apple trees.
My grandmother would be *sobbing* if she'd lived to see this. https://t.co/fJplvirYAl
— MovieBob Productions (@the_moviebob) August 22, 2020

One of the most significant changes includes the removal of Kennedy’s iconic crabapple trees and the overwhelmingly less colorful display, which the current First Lady replaced with more minimalist green shrubbery. “…those were Jackie Kennedy’s crabapple trees. My grandmother would be *sobbing* if she’d lived to see this, ” the media critic, Bob Chipman wrote in response to the White House before and after photos.

It looks like a prison yard now
— roxane gay (@rgay) August 22, 2020

Roxane Gay, the Bad Feminist author, also was not a fan of this monochromatic revision. “It looks like a prison yard now, ” she commented.

An unmitigated disaster.
— debbie millman (@debbiemillman) August 22, 2020

“An unmitigated disaster,” Debbie Millman, host of Design Matters, wrote in agreement.

To confirm: Tasteful, colorful image of Rose Garden, with trees, is before?!?
— David Rothschild (@DavMicRot) August 22, 2020

David Rothschild later summed up all of these thoughts in the extensive comment chain in two Tweets. “To confirm: Tasteful, colorful image of Rose Garden, with trees, is before?!?,” he commented. ”

“So, in the middle of pandemic killing 1,000+ people per day & massive economic depression, Marie Antoinette Trump spends a bunch of OUR money to take the color & joy out of the Rose Garden. On-Brand.”

So, in the middle of pandemic killing 1,000+ people per day & massive economic depression, Marie Antoinette Trump spends a bunch of OUR money to take the color & joy out of the Rose Garden. On-Brand.
— David Rothschild (@DavMicRot) August 22, 2020

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