A new sign added to the White House Rose Gardens has got social media talking as Donald Trump’s controversial remodeling of the executive mansion continues.
The sign, which says “The Rose Garden” in an elegant script, appeared on the White House colonnade on Tuesday, according to several reporters.
“Looks tacky. Doesn’t need a sign. Should be obvious where one is,” wrote one user on X. “How does this continue to get more tacky?” added another.
“Looks sooo cheap,” wrote a third user, while others compared the cursive signage to an Atlantic City casino, a 90s hotel ballroom and even a funeral home.
The destruction of Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden was part of a string of renovations that the president has undertaken since returning to office, to both the exterior and interior of the White House, which are more in keeping with his personal taste.
The once colorful and meticulously maintained green space, cultivated by Kennedy in the 1960s, was paved over last summer, replaced with a white limestone patio, topped with several items of garden furniture.
Though the central grassy area that the president claimed was prone to getting muddy has been replaced with tiles, some flowers remain along its border.
A new speaker system has been installed as well as country club-style chairs, tables, and striped umbrellas – with The New York Times reporting that Trump wanted to “recreate” the experience of his private Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago.
Some users referenced the extensive changes, arguing that the new sign might actually be necessary.
“In fairness this one might be needed. I don’t think there are actually any roses there anymore…” wrote one user on X.
Other controversial changes to the White House that have gotten underway since last January include the demolition of the building’s East Wing, which is being cleared for construction of a $350 million presidential ballroom.
Elsewhere, more gold has been added to the Oval Office and cabinet rooms, as well as a new Presidential Walk of Fame in an “employee-of-the-month” style, along a prominent walkway outside the West Wing, which looks onto the Rose Garden.
Black-and-white portraits of the president and his predecessors now appear in gold frames on the wall of the colonnade, though Trump has included derogatory plaques to the pictures of former Democratic presidents he does not like, including Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
The changes to “The People’s House” have been described by some critics as “grotesque” and “heartbreaking.”
