Did Trump remove the Rose Garden? He has pushed these White House renovations
- President Donald Trump has renovated the White House Rose Garden, replacing the grassy middle with stone tiles.
- Trump has redecorated the Oval Office with gold accents.
- A new 90,000 square-foot ballroom is planned for the White House, estimated to cost $200 million.
President Donald Trump has been making his mark on the White House, not only with his policies but through his design choices as well.
On Aug. 1, changes to the Rose Garden, located near the Oval Office, were unveiled. The Rose Garden, in its current location, was created in 1913 and today is used regularly for events, speeches and press conferences.
"We’re getting great reviews of the Rose Garden, and we had to do it," Trump said on Aug. 3.
In a bit more than six months in office, Trump has swapped out artwork around the White House, adorned the Oval Office in gold and announced plans for a $200 million ballroom addition. Here is what to know about Trump's renovations in Washington:
Did Trump remove the Rose Garden?
Not entirely. Flowers along the perimeter remain, but the grassy center has been replaced with stone tiles.
Trump previously said the change was in part to accommodate women wearing high heels.
"When we had a press conference, you’d sink into the mud. It was grass and it was very wet, always wet and damp and wet and if it rained it would take three, four, five days to dry out and we couldn’t use it really for the intended purpose," Trump told reporters on Aug. 3.
See the Rose Garden before and after photos
Trump decks out Oval Office in gold, plans new ballroom
Trump has updated artwork in the White House with some of his most memorable moments from the last few years, installed two new 88-foot-tall flagpoles on the north and south lawns of the White House, and adorned his new office in gold.
Gold-colored appliqués on the fireplace, gilded mirrors, and ornate Rococo-style 18th- and 19th-century dessert stands and flower vases from London and France sit on the mantle, as Paste BN previously reported. The walls are chockablock with paintings of former presidents in heavily ornate gold frames. The Cabinet Room has been outfitted with new ceiling medallions and a grandfather clock.
On July 31, the White House announced plans to add a new 90,000 square-foot ballroom to the east part of the building that will be able to hold 650 people. It is projected to cost $200 million, which Trump has vowed to pay for with private donations, and be completed before the end of Trump's term in 2029.
Paste BN’s Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Erin Mansfield, Savannah Kuchar, and Joey Garrison contributed to this report.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the Paste BN Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.