The backlash from the public was particularly fierce regarding the removal of roses and the elimination of 10 crabapple trees planted during John F. Kennedy\u2019s term. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief and Washington Correspondent, questioned the disappearance of the trees, while New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow described the renovations as a \u2018Marie Antoinette moment\u2019 amidst the ongoing pandemic and rising unemployment.<\/p>\n
The rationale for Melania\u2019s changes, such as the removal of the crabapple trees due to excessive shadowing of other flowers, was largely overlooked. Despite C-Span reporting that these trees would be replanted elsewhere on the White House grounds, a petition to restore the Rose Garden to its former state gathered over 80,000 signatures.<\/p>\n
Melania\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
Melania refrained from responding to the criticism until August 2021, around the first anniversary of the renovations, when presidential historian and author Michael Beschloss branded her redesign as an \u2018evisceration.\u2019 Melania\u2019s office, which rarely engages with such issues, decided to counter the allegations.<\/p>\n
Melania clarified that Beschloss had used a misleading image of the garden before her chosen roses had bloomed. This defense was seemingly supported by current First Lady Jill Biden, who shared a photo of Melania\u2019s blooming roses in May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The backlash from the public was particularly fierce regarding the removal of roses and the elimination of 10 crabapple trees planted during John F. Kennedy\u2019s term. Andrea… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n