Trump explains what inspired his plan to pave over White House Rose Garden grass: 'Gonna be beautiful'

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump has never been one to shy away from lavish makeovers, whether it’s golden decor in the Oval Office or his palatial Mar-a-Lago aesthetic.

And now, the 47th POTUS has set his sights on remodeling the historic Rose Garden, a plan that left Fox News host Laura Ingraham visibly stunned during an impromptu White House tour.

During a recent sit-down interview with Trump—which aired across two nights on Fox News—Ingraham was treated to a personal tour of the White House, where she got an unexpected firsthand look at the Rose Garden’s upcoming transformation.

Donald Trump says grass in Rose Garden 'just doesn’t work'

Reports first surfaced last month in The New York Times that Donald Trump had been toying with a Rose Garden makeover, with sources revealing he was considering paving over sections of the garden to create a hard-surface patio—a style reminiscent of his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

But it wasn’t until Trump walked Ingraham through the changes himself that the scale of the project became clear.

Stepping outside, Ingraham was seemingly caught off guard. “Are you… Are you paving over the grass here?” she asked.

Trump had a very specific reason for the overhaul. “What was happening is, you’re supposed to have events,” he explained. “Every event you have, it’s soaking wet. It’s soaking wet. And people can’t— and the women with the high heels, it’s just too much.” 

Ingraham pointed out that this was the same space where Trump had held high-profile Supreme Court nomination ceremonies, including those for Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

“The grass just, it doesn’t work,” Trump continued. “And we have a gorgeous stone and everything else. But you know, we use it for press conferences and it doesn’t work because the people fall into the, you know, into the wet, the soaking wet [inaudible].”

“The roses stay? The grass goes?” Ingraham then asked.

“The roses stay,” the president confirmed. “No, it’s a rose garden. All of this stays. Just the center section. I think it’s gonna be beautiful. I think it’s gonna be more beautiful.” 

Donald Trump’s love for makeovers

This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has put his personal touch on the White House’s aesthetics. Since reclaiming the presidency, he’s already transformed the previously minimalist Oval Office—filling it with gold medallions, gold vermeil figurines, gold eagles, and gilded Rococo mirrors.

It’s clear that Trump has a very specific taste, and that taste leans heavily toward opulent, gilded, and grand. But he might take a different route when it comes to the Rose Garden remodel.

According to the New York Times, Trump has been floating multiple options for the remodel. Some possibilities reportedly on the table include limestone – a classic, easily maintained hard surface—or hardwood flooring, or even an “interchangeable” hard surface that would be removable for different events.

Trump has reportedly also revisited an idea from his first term: building a full-on ballroom at the White House, similar to the one at Mar-a-Lago. While nothing is confirmed yet, it’s clear the former real estate mogul is thinking big.

That said, this wouldn't be the first time the Rose Garden has undergone a makeover. During Trump’s first term, First Lady Melania Trump led a major redesign, replacing many of the historic floral beds with a more structured, minimalist layout.

Now with Trump back in the White House, he’s taking things a step further by removing the grass and replacing it with something far more functional.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung issued a statement on the latest development. "The White House has not been given any tender, loving care in many decades, so President Trump is taking necessary steps in order to preserve and restore the greatness and glory of 'the People's House,'" he told the outlet.