Did Trump remove the \nRose Garden? He has pushed these White House renovations
On Aug. 1, changes to the Rose Garden, located near the Oval Office, were unveiled. The Rose Garden, in its current location, was created in 1913 and today is used regularly for events, speeches and press conferences.
"We're getting great reviews of the Rose Garden, and we had to do it," Trump said on Aug. 3.
In a bit more than six months in office, Trump has swapped out artwork around the White House, adorned the Oval Office in gold and announced plans for a $200 million ballroom addition. Here is what to know about Trump's renovations in Washington:
'I picked it all myself' How Trump's personal aesthetic is redefining White House decor
Did Trump remove the Rose Garden?
Not entirely. Flowers along the perimeter remain, but the grassy center has been replaced with stone tiles.
Trump previously said the change was in part to accommodate women wearing high heels.
"When we had a press conference, you'd sink into the mud. It was grass and it was very wet, always wet and damp and wet and if it rained it would take three, four, five days to dry out and we couldn't use it really for the intended purpose," Trump told reporters on Aug. 3.
See the Rose Garden before and after photos
Trump decks out Oval Office in gold, plans new ballroom
Trump has updated artwork in the White House with some of his most memorable moments from the last few years, installed two new 88-foot-tall flagpoles on the north and south lawns of the White House, and adorned his new office in gold.
Gold-colored appliqués on the fireplace, gilded mirrors, and ornate Rococo-style 18th- and 19th-century dessert stands and flower vases from London and France sit on the mantle, as USA TODAY previously reported. The walls are chockablock with paintings of former presidents in heavily ornate gold frames. The Cabinet Room has been outfitted with new ceiling medallions and a grandfather clock.
On July 31, the White House announced plans to add a new 90,000 square-foot ballroom to the east part of the building that will be able to hold 650 people. It is projected to cost $200 million, which Trump has vowed to pay for with private donations, and be completed before the end of Trump's term in 2029.
USA TODAY's Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Erin Mansfield, Savannah Kuchar, and Joey Garrison contributed to this report.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Trump's tariffs could be a disaster for Brazil's acai industry and American consumers
BELEM, Brazil (AP) — When U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 50% on Brazilian exports in July, acai producer Ailson Ferreira Moreira felt immediately concerned. After all, who was going to eat all of that Amazon berry, globally famous as a delicious, refreshing and nutritious superfood, if American consumers suddenly could no longer afford it? As the main importer of the Brazilian berry, prices of acai smoothies and bowls look certain to go up in the United States. 'The acai that's all produced here ... If only people here eat it, it's going to be a lot of acai, right?' Moreira told The Associated Press outside of Belem, an Amazon city of 1.4 million residents that will host this year's U.N. climate summit COP30 climate summi t in November. 'If there's too much acai here, people won't be able to eat it all and the price will drop.' A single full crate of acai sells for around $50 at local markets in Brazil, a price that is now expected to plummet. The U.S. is by far the largest acai importer of a total Brazilian output currently estimated at about 70,000 tons per year. Impact already being felt The most vulnerable acai producers in the northern state of Para say they have already been hit by tariffs imposed by the U.S. government, as a surplus of the berry without a clear destination starts to mount only days after the new economic scenario unfolded. More powerful exporters, such as Sao Paulo-state based company Acai Tropicalia Mix, are also feeling the impact. One of its owners, Rogério de Carvalho, told the AP that last year he exported to the U.S. about 270 tons of acai cream — an industrialized version of the berry — ready for consumption. As tariffs started to loom, he said, American importers steered away and clients suspended negotiations. Until the end of July, de Carvalho estimates that his company sold 27 tons to the U.S. 'That's 1.5 million Brazilian reais ($280,000) that we lost,' the businessman said. 'We are confident there will be a deal between the two countries to allow not only our clients to return, but also getting some new ones.' Tariffs linked to Bolsonaro case Trump has linked the higher tariffs on Brazil to the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is now under house arrest for his alleged role in leading an alleged coup plot to remain in office, despite his election loss to current leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. And despite several Brazilian exports being exempted from the tariffs, acai berries aren't among them. Brazil's industry ministry didn't reply to a request for comment on whether acai berries are among the items that remain on the negotiating table with U.S. trade representatives. Flavor explosion Nearly all of the acai consumed in the U.S. originates from Brazil, with the state of Para alone accounting for 90% of the country's total production. Several communities in the Amazon depend on its harvest. The harvesting of acai is a physically demanding job that requires workers to climb tall trees with minimal safety equipment, and then sliding down branches full of berries to fill baskets and then place them carefully in crates. Analysts say its producers also help protect the rainforest from illegal loggers, miners and cattle ranchers. The night markets of Belem, such as the Ver-o-Peso acai market, are a hub of activity where the freshly harvested berries are brought in by boat and prepared for sale. The Brazilian Association of Fruit and Derivative Producers and Exporters estimates there was an explosive growth of acai exports from Para state, from less than one ton in 1999 to more than 61,000 tons in 2023. Another explosive rise was expected for this year, before the tariffs. On Thursday, Brazil requested consultations at the World Trade Organization over tariffs imposed by the Trump administration against the South American nation that went into effect on Wednesday. That could be took little too late for acai harvester Mikael Silva Trindade, who agrees that the future of the trade is at risk as higher U.S. tariffs can disrupt the delicate balance of supply and demand that holds the industry. 'There will be nowhere to market (the excess of acai),' Trindade told the AP as he picked berries in Para state. 'The more you export, the more valuable it becomes. But if there's too much to sell, it will stay here and become cheap.' ___ Mauricio Savarese reported from Sao Paulo. ___ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at Inicia sesión para acceder a tu portafolio
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It's been four years since a US president met Putin - and Trump will have a lot of ice to break
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet where their countries brush shoulders. But why Alaska and why now? A US-Russia summit in Alaska is geography as metaphor and message. Alaska physically bridges both countries across the polar expanse. Follow latest: Choosing this location signals strategic parity - the US and Russian leaders face to face in a place where their interests literally meet. Alaska has surged in geopolitical importance due to its untapped fossil fuels. Trump has aggressively pushed for more control in the Arctic, plans for Greenland and oil access. Holding talks there centres the conversation where global energy and territorial stakes are high, and the US president thrives on spectacle. A dramatic summit in the rugged frontier of Alaska plays into his flair for the theatrical. It is brand Trump - a stage that frames him as bold, unorthodox and in command. It was 2021 when a US president last came face-to-face with a Russian president. The leaders of the two countries haven't met since Russia invaded Ukraine. But Trump is in touch with all sides - Russia, Ukraine and European leaders - and says they all, including Putin, want "to see peace". He's even talking up the potential shape of any deal and how it might involve the "swapping of territory". Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly insisted he will not concede territory annexed by Russia. Moscow has sent the White House a list of demands in return for a ceasefire. Read more:Russia reacts to Trump talks plan Trump is attempting to secure buy-in from Zelenskyy and other European leaders. He styles himself as "peacemaker-in-chief" and claims credit for ending six wars since he returned to office 200 days ago. There's much ice to break if he's to secure a coveted seventh one in Alaska.
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
As federal takeover threats loom, the city of Washington waits for the White House to make its move
WASHINGTON (AP) — Around 2 a.m., noisy revelers emerging from clubs and bars packed the sidewalks of U Street in Washington, many of them seeking a late-night slice or falafel. A robust but not unusual contingent of city police cruisers lingered around the edges of the crowds. At other late-night hot spots, nearly identical scenes unfolded. What wasn't apparent in Friday's earliest hours: any sort of security lockdown by a multiagency flood of uniformed federal law enforcement officers. That's what President Donald Trump had promised Thursday, starting at midnight, in the administration's latest move to impose its will on the nation's capital. In short, Trump's promised law enforcement surge to take control of the streets of D.C. did not appear to unfold on schedule. A two-hour city tour, starting around 1 a.m. Friday, revealed no overt or visible law enforcement presence other than members of the Metropolitan Police Department, the city's police force. That still might change in coming evenings as Trump puts into action his longstanding plans to 'take over' a capital city he has repeatedly slammed as unsafe, filthy and badly run. According to his Thursday declaration, the security lockdown will run for seven days, 'with the option to extend as needed.' On Friday night, a White House official said Thursday night's operations included arrests for possession of two stolen firearms, suspected fentanyl and marijuana. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said more than 120 members of various federal agencies — the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service — would be on duty Friday night, upping the complement of federal officers involved. 'This is the first step in stopping the violent crime that has been plaguing the streets of Washington, D.C.,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who publicly faced off against Trump in 2020 when he called in a massive federal law enforcement response to disperse crowds of protesters, has not said a public word since Trump's declaration. The MPD has gone similarly silent. A crackdown came after an assault The catalyst for this latest round of D.C. takeover drama was the assault last weekend on a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency by a group of teenagers in an attempted carjacking. The victim, Edward Coristine, nicknamed 'Big Balls,' was among the most visible figures of Trump's DOGE, which was tasked with slashing federal bureaucracy. Police arrested two 15-year-olds and say they're still seeking other members of the group. Trump quickly renewed his calls for the federal government to seize control. 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He later doubled down on those comments, telling reporters he was considering everything from repealing Washington's limited 'home rule' autonomy to 'bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly.' The threats come at a time when Bowser's government can legitimately claim to have reduced the number of homicides and carjackings, both of which spiked in 2023. The number of carjackings overall dropped significantly the following year in 2024, from 957 to just under 500, and is on track to decline again this year, with less than 200 recorded so far more than halfway through the year. The portion of juveniles arrested for carjacking, though, has remained above 50%, and Bowser's government has taken steps to reign in a new phenomenon of rowdy teenagers causing disarray and disturbances in public spaces. Emergency legislation passed by the D.C. Council earlier this summer imposed tighter youth curfew restrictions and empowered Police Chief Pamela Smith to declare temporary juvenile curfew zones for four days at a time. In those areas, a gathering of nine or more kids under the age of 18 is unlawful after 8 p.m. This lies within presidential authority Trump is completely within his powers in deploying federal law enforcement assets on D.C. streets. He could also deploy the National Guard, although they are not one of the dozen participating agencies listed in his declaration. The first Trump administration called in the National Guard during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and again on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters overran the Capitol Building. But further steps, including taking over the police department, would require a declaration of emergency — something legal experts believe would most likely be challenged in court. That approach would fit the general pattern of Trump's second term in office; he has declared repeated states of emergency on issues ranging from border protection to economic tariffs and, in many cases, moved forward while the courts sorted them out. These declarations have enabled his administration to govern via executive order. On Wednesday, Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare new sanctions on Russia. Imposing a full federal takeover of Washington would require a congressional repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973. It's a step that Trump said lawyers are examining, but it could face pushback. That law was specific to Washington, not other communities in the United States that have their own home rule powers but generally retain representation in their state legislatures, said Monica Hopkins, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon, the measure allowed D.C. residents to elect their own mayor, council and local commissioners. The district had been previously run by federally appointed commissioners and members of Congress, some of whom balked at having to deal with potholes and other details of running a city of 700,000 residents. So far, Trump's longstanding criticisms of Washington can be felt most directly in the actions of the National Park Service, which controls wide swaths of land throughout the capital. In Trump's second administration, the NPS has aggressively stepped up its clearing of homeless encampments on Park Service land and recently carried out a series of arrests of people smoking marijuana in public parks. Earlier this week, the NPS announced that a statue of a Confederate military leader that was toppled by protesters in 2020 would be restored and replaced in line with an Executive Order. ___ Associated Press reporters Mike Pesoli, Michael Kunzelman and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
