Melania Trump Didn't Destroy White House Rose Garden
The Claim
Melania Trump ordered the digging up —and thus in some sense the destruction of— the famous White House Rose Garden, first planted by Jackie Kennedy and containing roses planted by every First Lady since 1913.
News posted on
Emerging story
On August 22, 2020, First Lady Melania Trump unveiled a newly renovated White House Rose Garden, and has since come under considerable criticism among those politically opposed to her husband for her decorative decisions.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation into this claim reveals it to be false. The White House Rose Garden is not a single work that has been added to with each successive president, but is rather a series of works that changes with each successive President and First Lady. As such, Melania’s creative decisions are no more destructive than any of the many changes to the garden that have come before. Landscape historian Marta McDowell, author of All the Presidents’ Gardens, explains that the kinds of decisions made in the makeup of the garden are akin to one’s preference of chocolate versus vanilla— they’re subjective, implying that members of the public with no artistic expertise regarding gardens who nevertheless display extremely strong negative opinions towards the work of any one gardener are only showcasing their political bias.
