Melania Trump is leading a renovation of the White House Rose Garden that will include upgrades for TV appearances

• First lady Melania Trump will lead a renovation of the White House Rose Garden, the White House announced Monday.
• Changes will include electrical upgrades, improvements for television appearances, as well as new flowers and shrubs, The New York Times first reported.
• The renovation will return the Rose Garden to its 1962 footprint and will improve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the White House said.
• The White House did not detail the cost of the renovation, though it said it was privately funded and would take about three weeks to complete, according to The New York Times.

The White House on Monday announced that first lady Melania Trump will lead a renovation of the White House Rose Garden, implementing a host of changes that should also make the garden more suitable for television.

Some of the plans include electrical upgrades for TV appearances, a new walkway, and new flowers and shrubs, The New York Times first reported.

"The very act of planting a garden involves hard work and hope in the possibility of a bright future," the first lady said in a statement Monday. "Preserving the history and beauty of the White House and its grounds is a testament to our nation's commitment to the care of this landscape and our dedication to American ideals, safeguarding them for our children and their children for generations to come."

According to a Monday press release from the White House, the changes will return the Rose Garden to its 1962 footprint.

The garden first began when former first lady Ellen Wilson planted roses in 1913, the White House noted in its report. It was notably renovated in 1962 during the Kennedy Administration, designed by the late horticulturist Rachel "Bunny" Lambert Mellon.

The 2020 renovation will provide better drainage, and create "a healthier environment for plantings that reduce the risk of leaf blight," the White House said. It will include new limestone walkways, replace crab apple trees with white rose shrubs, and add new white pink roses, as The New York Times reported.

The plans also include changes to improve the garden's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the White House.

Trump has used the Rose Garden as his preferred venue to announce policy decisions and to address the media

This year, the president has used the Rose Garden to deliver remarks and updates related to the coronavirus pandemic. He's also used the space to attack his political opponents.

In June, Trump appeared in the Rose Garden before reporters amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and threatened to deploy the US military if local leaders didn't quash demonstrations. Prior to his remarks, the US Park Police used tear gas to clear peaceful protesters from outside the White House so he could walk to a nearby church for a photo-op.

The first lady's initiative comes late in her husband's first term — just about four months before voters will decide whether to give him another four years in office or to replace him with the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Since 2018, the first lady's main effort has been "Be Best", her broad program meant to curb bullying. Her work in the Rose Garden comes as part of her position as honorary chair of the Committee for the Preservation of The White House.

The White House report did not detail cost estimates for the Rose Garden renovation, though The New York Times reported it will be funded through private donations and take about three weeks to complete.

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