Trump redesigns White House Rose Garden with stone patio, Founding Father statues, renames it 'The Rose Garden Club'

Before the White House had a Rose Garden, the land was used for horse stables. Under the guidance of first ladies throughout history, the garden was built and transformed into a colorful landscape with a well-manicured event space. In one of many decor changes President Donald Trump has made during his second non-consecutive term, the White House unveiled a redesigned Rose Garden in August 2025 featuring a patio space made of stone tiles. Trump has continued to redecorate the space with gold lettering, plaques, and statues of the Founding Fathers.

Here is how the Rose Garden has changed over the years.

Early Beginnings

• 1902: Before the Rose Garden, Edith Roosevelt established the Colonial Garden.
• 1913: Ellen Wilson replaced the Colonial Garden with the White House Rose Garden. Before the space was used for events and press conferences, it was designed as a formal flower garden.
• The Rose Garden was designed by George E. Burnap and Beatrix Farrand. Instead of round, winding paths through flowers, the garden was organized in rows with a lawn in the center.

The Kennedy Era Redesign

• 1961: Designer Rachel Lambert Mellon reimagined the garden. Mellon wrote that President John F. Kennedy became interested in revamping the Rose Garden after returning from a trip to Europe.
• "The President had noted that the White House had no garden equal in quality or attractiveness to the gardens that he had seen and in which he had been entertained in Europe," she wrote for the White House Historical Association. "There he had recognized the importance of gardens surrounding an official residence and their appeal to the sensibilities of all people."
• Mellon added Katherine crab-apple trees, perennials, annuals, green pillow, and, of course, roses. She also handpicked four magnolia trees for the corners of the garden, inspired by the front of the Frick in New York City.

Notable Events and Changes

• 1971: More flowers were added to the Rose Garden for the wedding of President Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia and Edward Finch Cox. The wedding was attended by 400 guests, and the reception was held in the East Room.
• 1983: President Ronald Reagan playfully fed some squirrels burrowed in the garden's potted plants.
• The Oval Office is adjacent to the Rose Garden, making it easy for presidents to step outside for some fresh air.
• 1993: President Bill Clinton named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden.
• The garden once featured a small seating area where presidents occasionally held meetings or ate lunch.
• 2009: President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden met with James Crowley and Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in the Rose Garden.

The 2020 Renovation

• 2020: Melania Trump unveiled a new Rose Garden design. Updates included improved technology for hosting events and new limestone walkways bordering the lawn.
• The magnolias remained, but she also added roses in white and pastel shades.
• Around 12 crab-apple trees from the Kennedy administration were removed and replanted elsewhere on the grounds.
• The small seating area was also removed and replaced with an art installation.

The 2025 Redesign and Subsequent Additions

• August 2025: President Trump unveiled a redesigned Rose Garden featuring a stone patio and tables. Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in March 2025 that he planned to renovate the Rose Garden because the grass lawn "just doesn't work" for large events.
• The new garden was completed in August 2025. Appearing to take inspiration from the outdoor terrace at his Mar-a-Lago club, the president had the grass paved over with stone tiles and added table seating shaded by yellow and white striped umbrellas.
• In a statement to The Hill in September, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle referred to the space as "The Rose Garden Club" and called it "the hottest place to be in Washington, or perhaps the world."
• The new tiles include nods to the office of the president. Designs on the tiles included the presidential seal in gold, a favorite of Trump's, and American flag-inspired stars and stripes.
• September 2025: Trump added portraits to the West Wing Colonnade on the north side of the Rose Garden, dubbed the Presidential Walk of Fame. The display is far from politically neutral — instead of a photo of President Joe Biden, the Presidential Walk of Fame features a framed photo of an autopen.
• December 2025: Plaques summarizing the legacies of the former presidents from Trump's point of view were added to accompany the portraits.
• January 2026: Trump added gold lettering to further adorn the Rose Garden. The lettering appeared to be in the same Shelley Script font that Trump used to label the Oval Office.
• October 2025: Trump installed five new sculptures in the Rose Garden depicting the Founding Fathers. He also requested that a statue of George Washington, which had been displayed at the Washington Monument, be moved to the Rose Garden.