Trump transformed the iconic space outside the Oval Office from a Rose Garden to more of a Rose Patio. On August 3, 2025, Trump told reporters that the recently completed project was getting “great reviews.” But plenty of people are upset about the loss of the manicured lawn that was installed in 1913, and the before and after photos are jarring.
Here’s the Rose Garden on the day Barack Obama hosted the 2014 Easter Egg Roll:
Photo: ImageCatcher News Service/Corbis via Getty Images
And here’s Trump’s freshly paved Rose Garden on July 29, 2025:
Photo: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump has been obsessing about the space. The paving of the Rose Garden was “the subject of almost daily discussions,” according to a February New York Times report. Trump claimed the grass needed to be replaced because it makes for a less-than-ideal event space, repeatedly citing his concern for women in heels. But the paper suggested the renovation was really about Trump’s desire to replicate Mar-a-Lago at the White House:
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.
By October, Trump had done just that. The new patio furniture is an exact match for the white tables and yellow-striped umbrellas used at Mar-a-Lago, and DJ Trump has been playing music over newly installed speakers.
The White House has even taken to calling the space the “Rose Garden Club,” like Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club. The new name has appeared in press releases and printed place settings. On September 6, Trump explained that it’s a private club for elites right in the People’s House.
“We call it the Rose Garden Club. And it’s a club for senators, for congresspeople and for people in Washington, and frankly, people that can bring peace and success to our country,” Trump said.
