The Controversy Surrounding Melania Trump’s Rose Garden Renovation

The country was deep in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and a highly divisive presidential administration when former First Lady Melania Trump redesigned the iconic White House Rose Garden, and the ensuing backlash was reflective of the emotionally tumultuous times. But Trump was ready to defend her Rose Garden renovations, making a rare public statement in response to historian Michael Beschloss.

“[Beschloss] has proven his ignorance by showing a picture [right] of the Rose Garden in its infancy,” the official Office of Melania Trump account tweeted with a photo of the garden in full bloom, pictured above. They added, “The Rose Garden is graced with a healthy and colorful blossoming of roses. His misleading information is dishonorable, and he should never be trusted as a professional historian.”

Melania’s harsh words for those criticizing her 2020 Rose Garden renovations were, of course, met with even stronger backlash. “1. [Beschloss] is a trustworthy professional historian. 2. Even though it’s had a year after its evisceration, it’s still a depressing, unimaginative space. 3. I hope the current administration can find the time to bring some joy back into the Rose Garden,” one user tweeted in response to the post.