President Trump released footage Saturday that he claimed showed a subcontractor damaging limestone in the newly renovated Rose Garden at the White House, blasting the worker as “stupid” and vowing accountability.
Since returning to office, Trump has overseen sweeping White House renovations, reshaping parts of the residence to his personal taste. Earlier this year, he unveiled a $200 million ballroom project and had the Oval Office reworked. The Rose Garden was also dramatically altered, with its grass lawn replaced by stone paving. Trump defended the redesign back in March during an interview with Fox’s Laura Ingraham, saying grass “doesn’t work” for press conferences, while “gorgeous stone” would serve the space better.
Trump said he noticed the damage — a “huge gash in the limestone” stretching more than 25 yards — three days earlier while “admiring the stonework.” In a Truth Social post, he described his reaction: “It was deep and nasty! I started yelling, ‘Who did this, and I want to find out now!’ — And I didn’t say this in a nice manner.”
According to Trump, security footage revealed that the damage came from a subcontractor dragging a broken steel cart across the limestone, “rubbing hard against the soft, beautiful stone.” He vowed to replace the stone, bill the contractor, and ban the worker from future White House projects. “We caught them, cold,” Trump wrote.
The Rose Garden has a long history at the White House, dating back to Ellen Wilson, the wife of Woodrow Wilson. It was famously redesigned under President John F. Kennedy, guided by First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Despite Trump’s sweeping changes, the roses that originally gave the garden its name still remain.