Earlier this summer, First Lady Melania Trump announced plans to renovate the historic White House Rose Garden. While many first ladies throughout history have put their personal stamp on the grounds, few have chosen to do so during a global pandemic and economic collapse. Many considered Melania’s announcement to be wildly out of touch with the current climate, and began referring to her as “Melania Antoinette.”
Well, the renovations are now complete, and Melania showed off the new rose garden on social media:
Excited to honor history & celebrate the future in our beautiful @WhiteHouse Rose Garden this evening. Thank you to all who helped renew this iconic & truly gorgeous space. pic.twitter.com/ggiqLkdGbw
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 22, 2020
Huh. Remind me, what did it look like before?
Before and after photographs of newly renovated White House Rose Garden:
courtesy #Getty and @marycjordan pic.twitter.com/w6bzoNHMjC— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) August 22, 2020
Goddamn it, Melania. So you removed all the colors, all the crabapple trees, and all the damn roses?! This garden looks like bouquet filler. The entire thing might as well be baby’s breath. But why did we expect anything else from the woman who brought us this Christmas decoration snuff film?
The People’s House @WhiteHouse is ready to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season! pic.twitter.com/oejKW3mC15
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) November 26, 2018
The rose garden is signature Melania: monochromatic, cold, and deeply unwelcoming. Most folks agreed, and #MelaniaRuinsEverything and #RoseGardenMassacre are now trending on Twitter. Let’s take a look at the hottest takes:
Melanie basically turned the White House Rose Garden into the back entrance to a Sheraton conference center. pic.twitter.com/J9t0RjzW5w
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) August 23, 2020
Americans dying from Coronavirus, First lady messing with rose garden.
Everything they touch, they destroy.
Every single thing this family touches lacks class, imagination & feeling#RoseGardenMassacre #MelaniaRuinsEverything#MelaniaRuinedTheRoseGarden pic.twitter.com/j7Sz4llRmZ
— Wendy Dupuis (@WendyDupuis11) August 23, 2020
Melania Trump removed trees and beautiful flowers that were in the Rose Garden and replaced them with paved walkways and minimalist white roses. The Rose Garden is empty and cold, it looks like a funeral home. #MelaniaRuinsEverything pic.twitter.com/FCn9wNxFC5
— Jules Morgan (@glamelegance) August 23, 2020
What the Trumps did to the Rose Garden is a goddamn travesty.
Those gorgeous spring flowering trees that look like cherry but are really crabapple? Gone.
It's just hideous. Unless you were going for an early mausoleum esthetic. #MelaniaRuinsEverything pic.twitter.com/SLkQILoY91
— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) August 22, 2020
To quote Lady Bird Johnson: "Where flowers bloom so does hope."
The symbolism of this 'renovation' is potent.#RoseGardenMassacre pic.twitter.com/iNcLbSKN8v— Alexandra_w (@alexandraw_12) August 23, 2020
And we are surprised by the new Rose Garden? pic.twitter.com/wVAFbS1phW
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) August 22, 2020
Instead of the Rose Garden Massacre we should call it the Red Weeding.
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) August 23, 2020
I swear I'm not being petty when I say the Rose Garden "renovations" are a notable downgrade. They took a gorgeous, iconic area and turned it into an upscale hospital break area. https://t.co/yGXTxm1GqB
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) August 22, 2020
Melania Trump really said 🥀✂, huh #RoseGardenMassacre pic.twitter.com/33jUFEOHH3
— Colleen (@ColleenBeattie_) August 23, 2020
To think, we could have had gays in there… https://t.co/Tu1IUxBjSn
— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten) August 22, 2020
Realistically, we have MUCH bigger fish to fry with regards to the crimes the Trump family have committed. But still, this is yet another metaphor for how the Trumps have upended everything beautiful and good in this country. Just add it to the pile of things Joe and Kamala will have to fix in 2021.
(image: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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