Melania Trump defends controversial Rose Garden renovation in new memoir tease

Palm Beach, Florida - In a new promo video for her upcoming memoir, Melania Trump promised to discuss her controversial decision to renovate the Rose Garden of the White House.

Melania Trump (r.) promised to discuss her decision to renovate the Rose Garden in a new promotional ad released on Friday for her upcoming memoir.
Melania Trump (r.) promised to discuss her decision to renovate the Rose Garden in a new promotional ad released on Friday for her upcoming memoir.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

On Friday, the former first lady shared a 31-second clip on social media, which featured photos of the White House, design plans for the renovation, and a photo of her unveiling the new garden.

"When the committee for the preservation of the White House asked me to renovate the Rose Garden, I felt a deep responsibility to respect tradition, and to preserve its grandeur for future generations," Melania said in the narration.

"In my book, I share the story of this journey, how my team and I worked to safeguard this piece of our history."

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Back in July 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Melania announced she would be overseeing the renovations.

While CNN reported that Melania planned to "restore the space to more resemble the original design" established by President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie Kennedy, in 1962, her unveiling was met with heavy backlash from critics.

In April 2021, after Joe Biden took over the White House, an online petition was started, requesting that new First Lady Jill Biden oversee restoring the garden to "Jackie's original design" and describing Melania's as "a boring tribute to herself."

On the one-year anniversary of Melania's unveiling, historian Michael Beschloss described it as an "evisceration" and "decades of American history made to disappear."

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Melania Trump during the second night of the Republican National Convention, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington DC, on August 25, 2020.
Melania Trump during the second night of the Republican National Convention, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington DC, on August 25, 2020.  © IMAGO / UPI Photo

The video is the fifth in a series of promo ads she has released in recent weeks in support of her upcoming memoir.

The unusual ad campaign has received significant attention, as it is the most she has interacted with the media following the January 6 Capitol riots that took place after her husband, Donald Trump, lost his first re-election bid.

During her time as First Lady, Melania oversaw the renovations of numerous parts of the White House and appeared excited about the projects, even when the public wasn't.

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Months before she announced her Rose Garden renovation, Melania had faced criticism for sharing a social media post regarding her renovations to the White House Tennis Pavilion.

The post, which featured photos of the First Lady in a hard hat alongside the construction crew, was met with some backlash, as she still had yet to make any statement about the pandemic that was beginning to spur national lockdowns.

In response to critics, Melania wrote, "I encourage everyone who chooses to be negative & question my work at the White House to take time and contribute something good & productive in their own communities."

At a rally earlier this week, Trump admitted that he hadn't read the upcoming memoir, adding, "If she says bad things about me, I'll call you all up, and I'll say, 'Don't buy it, get rid of it!'"

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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