For many Americans, the White House Rose Garden is sacred ground — but right now, that hallowed space has been torn up beyond recognition.
New photos taken nearly two weeks into a controversial renovation project show bulldozers, gravel, and construction workers overtaking the once-grassy sanctuary just outside the Oval Office.
What used to be the garden’s signature green center has now been replaced by a layer of gravel. Construction equipment is parked nearby, and workers have been spotted hauling materials across the grounds.
Some greenery remains — original hedges along the borders are still intact — but the transformation is dramatic. Photos from earlier in the project show the limestone border, installed during Melania’s controversial 2020 redesign, being dug up to make way for a concrete surface.
So why the sudden changes? Trump, now 79, explained his reasoning during a March interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“You know, we use [the Rose Garden] for press conferences, and it doesn’t work because the people fall,” he said at the time.
