Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Since returning to office, Donald Trump has renovated the White House extensively, adding tons of tacky gold embellishments and many portraits of himself. Critics said the president was trying to morph the People’s House into a replica of his own house, particularly after he paved over the Rose Garden and added patio tables that look exactly like the furniture at Mar-a-Lago. But administration officials have insisted Trump is merely restoring the space to better serve the American people.
“The White House has not been given any tender, loving care in many decades, so President Trump is taking necessary steps in order to preserve and restore the greatness and glory of ‘the People’s House,’” Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, told the New York Times.
But now the White House is embracing the idea that Trump has established his own private club right outside the Oval Office. While touting an event Trump will hold on Thursday night with two-dozen tech leaders — including Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and Bill Gates — a spokesperson referred to the Rose Garden as a “club.” In fact, he declared it the “hottest place to be,” like a MAGA Stefon.
“The Rose Garden Club at the White House is the hottest place to be in Washington, or perhaps the world. The president looks forward to welcoming top business, political, and tech leaders for this dinner and the many dinners to come on the new, beautiful Rose Garden patio,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told The Hill in a statement.
Less than a month after Trump returned to office, the Times reported that Trump was looking to replace the Rose Garden’s manicured lawn, which was installed in 1913. The paper said the goal was to re-create the “vibe” at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida:
Mr. Trump has made clear to associates that he wants to recreate the patio experience at Mar-a-Lago, his members-only club and home in Palm Beach, Fla., creating a better space for entertaining guests. When he is at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump spends hours of his evenings on the patio, with club members and other V.I.P.s dropping by his table to pay their respects. He often holds an iPad, controlling the playlist and blasting Luciano Pavarotti and James Brown at earsplitting volumes.
However, whenever Trump discussed the project, he claimed he was mainly worried about women’s heels getting stuck in soggy grass. In a March interview with Fox News, Trump mentioned that the space is traditionally used for swearing-in ceremonies and press conferences, and he downplayed his planned changes.
“It’s a rose garden,” Trump said. “No, all of this stays. Just the center section. I think it’s going to be beautiful.”
Ingraham: Are you paving over the grass here?
Trump: Every event you ever have, it’s soaking wet. It’s soaking wet. And people can’t — and the women with the high heels. pic.twitter.com/Rf5ohxulab
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 19, 2025
So far, the term Rose Garden Club has only been used publicly by Ingle; there was no official announcement of the renaming and the space is still called “the White House Kennedy Garden” on WhiteHouse.gov. But this CNN report should eliminate any remaining doubts about how Trump is using the space:
In recent days, CNN has seen new lighting being installed and tested on the roof of the West Wing aimed toward the Rose Garden.
There has also been a steady playlist of music coming from the Rose Garden, piping through new speakers that have been installed.
Recent selections have included Billy Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman” as well as Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and the Beatles’ “In My Life.”
So, if you liked this historic garden the way it was before:
Photo: ImageCatcher News Service/Corbis via Getty Images
Too bad! DJ Trump needs a place to schmooze and show off how good he is at clicking song titles on an iPad.
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