The 'Overambition' of the US First Lady Challenging Jacqueline [Correspondent Diary]

Melania's Rose Garden Renovation at the White House Draws Heavy Criticism
Public Outcry Claims She Ruined Jacqueline Kennedy's Legacy

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 22nd (local time), the most talked-about news in the United States was the renovation of the White House Rose Garden. Many Americans were bewildered and expressed dissatisfaction with the drastically changed appearance of the Rose Garden, which had been loved by Americans for decades.

The previous appearance of the Rose Garden compared by American photojournalist Michael Veslos (left) and its current appearance (Twitter capture)

The way First Lady Melania, wife of President Donald Trump, transformed the Rose Garden, where she was scheduled to give a supportive speech for her husband, became a bigger topic than the confrontation between President Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

The Rose Garden was originally designed by Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of President John F. Kennedy, in 1961 and has been maintained since then.

The White House explained that the renovation aimed to restore the Rose Garden to its appearance during Jacqueline Kennedy’s era and to facilitate TV broadcasting, but the result was completely different. It was thoroughly redesigned according to Melania’s personal taste.

Melania Trump [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

The biggest change revealed in the new Rose Garden was that the roses lost their presence. Instead of large and splendid rose bushes, only a small number of pastel-toned roses preferred by Melania were newly planted.

The new Rose Garden no longer features vibrant flowers. Colorful tulips and various other flowers were removed as well. This is also presumed to reflect Melania’s preferences. While this gives the garden a neat appearance, the dominant opinion is that its dynamism has disappeared.

Apple trees and cherry trees that had been planted in the Rose Garden also vanished. The cherry trees, which Jacqueline Kennedy had personally planted and had grown into large trees blooming every spring to watch over the Rose Garden, are now destined to be replanted elsewhere on the White House grounds.

The garden’s size was also reduced. A limestone walkway was installed where boxwoods had been adjacent to the lawn. With the installation of the walkway, the garden’s scale was diminished. CBS described the walkway installation as the core of the Rose Garden’s changes. The White House explained this was a measure to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

The height of the boxwoods adjacent to the White House corridor was significantly lowered. With the disappearance of the cherry trees and the reduction in boxwood height, cameras can now film the faces of President Trump and Melania without obstruction when they pass through the corridor.

After the redesigned Rose Garden was revealed, public opinion surged. Controversy arose not only because President Trump planned to give his acceptance speech in the White House garden but also because the First Lady was to give a supportive speech for her husband there, leading to criticism that the garden, a symbol of American pride, had been ruined.

The online media Vox reported that complaints about the changed appearance of the Rose Garden flooded Twitter. Vox introduced that many people expressed confusion over why Melania had to alter the Rose Garden.

Jacqueline Kennedy (Photo by Wikipedia)

Jacqueline Kennedy, who first created the Rose Garden, became First Lady at the young age of 31 and was loved by the public. She was elegant and dignified and is credited with changing the image of the American First Lady.

Considering this, wasn’t it always a stretch for Melania, who showed little presence throughout President Trump’s term, to challenge Jacqueline’s legacy?

Compared to Jacqueline, Melania, a former model, has an advantage in appearance. Nevertheless, it is hard to find American public affection for the First Lady, a Slovenian immigrant and former lingerie model. The scene where Melania wore high heels while visiting hurricane damage sites in 2017 became a subject of nationwide ridicule.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.