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Petition urges Jill Biden to restore White House Rose Garden, undo Melania Trump's 'boring tribute to herself'

More than 50,000 people have called on the first lady to 'restore Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden' which was replaced with a lawn by Melania Trump in 2019

A new petition is calling on first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff to restore the Rose Garden on the east side of the White House. The petition, created on the Change.org platform currently has over 50,000 signatures and counting with a goal of reaching 75,000. 

The garden was originally known as the East Garden but named the 'Jacqueline Kennedy Garden' in honor of the former FLOTUS by Lady Bird Johnson. Over the years, various administrations have remodeled the garden as they see fit, but most of the original design has been retained. That includes a bed of flowers, low hedges and several trees. However, in 2019, Melania Trump decided to change things entirely. 

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The Kennedy Garden was redesigned along with the Rose Garden (located on the west side) by Melania and unveiled in 2020 as the pandemic was raging across the US. It was the first major significant change since the Kennedy administration and many didn't like what they saw. 

Melania's redesign slammed

The former first lady removed the flowers and the cherry tree that was a gift from Japan and replaced it with a large lawn and less colorful flowers. Melania unveiled the new garden, along with a remodeled Rose Garden on August 22, 2020, in a tweet. She said, "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."

At the time, Melania came under immense criticism for her design, but it stood. It was unclear how much the redesign cost, but it was reportedly paid for with private donations.  Now with the Trumps gone, petitioners are hoping Jill can restore the garden. "In 2019, Melania Trump had the cherry trees, a gift from Japan, removed as well as the rest of the foliage and replaced with a boring tribute to herself. Jackie's legacy was ripped away from Americans who remembered all that the Kennedy's meant to us," the petition reads.

Signing the petition many demanded the garden be restored to what things were before Melania's changes to the garden, one said: "I took the White House Garden Tour in 2016. Loved every minute of it. I was heartsick when I saw the renovation. The heart and soul and history were gone. Please restore it and, while you're at it, bring back Michelle Obama's vegetable garden, as well. Thank you."

While Jackie didn't design the original garden, it was renamed in her honor after she helped restore the beauty of the White House gardens following nearly 50 years of disrepair. The project began in 1961 after the Kennedys visited Europe and "the President had noted that the White House had no garden equal in quality or attractiveness to the gardens that he had seen and in which he had been entertained in Europe". Unfortunately, Kennedy was assassinated and Jackie left the White House before the East Garden could be completed. It was later finished by the Johnson administration, and renamed in 1965. 

So far, Jill has refused to comment on the petition. It is unclear if she will take on the project, which has been gaining a lot of steam on social media. Many users have shared the petition on Twitter while others have slammed Melania for the changes she made. It's not clear if Jill can roll back all the changes as well. 

According to the National News, "much of the changes, officials note, had to be made because of poor drainage of the lawn and damage to shrubs and tree roots over time." Other changes made were the installation of underground electrical cables to assist television crews. Reportedly, those changes were made to "fulfill the dynamic needs of the modern presidency". 

Since the redesign, Trump has often held media interactions in the gardens rather than the briefing room due to Covid-19. Other changes included greater accessibility for people with disabilities and a 3-foot-wide limestone walkway. 

Nonetheless, petitioners would like to see some of the color return to the garden in honor of Jackie Kennedy. Whether Jill Biden will do so, remains to be seen.