The White House Rose Garden refurbishment drew boos, and the US media "poisoned tongue": Biden "Save the White House"
[Global Times Special Correspondent Jiang Ziyi, Global Times Special Correspondent Liu Haoran] In the past weekend, the White House completed the first large-scale renovation of the Rose Garden in 60 years, but Melania, the "First Lady" who led the project, attracted boos one slice. It turned out that this renovation has lost the effect of the flowers and the garden is almost reduced to a "lawn". The media sarcastically stated that Melania might have "reversed" the renderings before and after the renovation; even more "venomous" media criticized her for changing the good-looking rose garden to a "rose cemetery". Called on Biden to "must win the election" and "save the White House."
Remodeled to "meet modern changes in demand"
The American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on the 23rd that Melania made an "official announcement" on Twitter on the 22nd on the completion of the Rose Garden reconstruction project. The tweet said: "Tonight in our beautiful White House Rose Garden, full of I am excited to commemorate history and look forward to the future. Thanks to all those who assisted in the reconstruction project."
It is understood that the Rose Garden was mainly used for informal media meetings and various banquets, commendations and celebrations. In recent years, the venue has gradually been given more diplomatic functions. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the rose garden has been reused unprecedentedly. In order to ensure social distancing, Trump abandoned the White House press room and held press conferences in the Rose Garden for several weeks.
The White House previously announced Melania’s “Rose Garden Refurbishment Plan”: This renovation is designed to meet the “changing needs of modern national leaders”. In other words, the purpose of the renovation is to make the space of this site more open. Can accommodate more media devices at the same time. Trump will accept the nomination for the Republican National Convention in the White House, contrary to tradition, and Melania will also deliver a speech in the newly completed rose garden on the 25th.
The rose garden faces the sky
According to the completed renderings released by many media, the newly completed rose garden mainly highlights the green lawn area in the center of the garden, with roads paved around the lawn; the flower terraces on both sides of the garden are trimmed into diamonds, and the main color is composed of white roses. , Scattered with a few pink roses and other flowers in the middle. The original cherry trees, tulips and other colorful flowers in the rose garden have almost been removed. According to the White House, these "excess" trees are luxuriant, and their shade affects other vegetation to absorb sunlight. It is understood that the removed trees will be temporarily stored in the greenhouse and will be transplanted to other areas of the White House in the future.
Melania's aesthetic has attracted many criticisms from public opinion. According to the American media, the overall effect of the new garden can be described as "solemn", "faced upside down" and "like a parking lot." The American gossip news website showbiz411 even criticized that Melania changed the garden to a "cemetery style", not knowing if she was paying homage to the 170,000 new crown patients killed by Trump. Some netizens left "god comments", saying that Melania removed cherry trees because they symbolized honesty; removed flowers of all colors because they represented diversity-both of which are characteristics that the current government lacks.
Some critics believe that Melania's transformation is not only destroying the legacy of American patriarchs, but also working to weaken the influence of former leaders of the White House. For example, the main layout and vegetation of the rose garden were mostly planned by President Kennedy’s wife Jacqueline in the 1960s. The Sunday Mail stated that these "destroying history" actions were simply "a metaphor for what Trump did during his administration." On the 22nd, Melania was even scolded by U.S. netizens as a "hot search". One of the popular hashtags was "Mary Antoinette"-a large number of netizens compared Melania to the famous French " "The Deficit Queen", ironically, she is still doing great construction projects when millions of Chinese are struggling with food and clothing.
The White House transformation, Trump most "burns money"
As the official residence of the president, American leaders can undergo certain transformations after they move into the White House. According to the US Bustle News Network, the upgrade and reconstruction of the White House by early American leaders revolved around "infrastructure" and "expansion": for example, the West Wing was added to the White House during Theodore Roosevelt's administration, and all gas lights were replaced by electric lights. . During the Kennedy administration, "First Lady" Jacqueline began to introduce antiques and artworks into the White House. President Bush spent US$62,000 to customize a special carpet for the oval office, and also spent nearly US$500,000 to purchase a batch of high-end tableware. During Obama's administration, the White House was "overhauled", spending as much as $1.5 million.
Compared with previous American leaders, Trump’s reconstruction burns the most money: At the beginning of his tenure, the "First Family" spent $1.75 million on reconstruction and additional furniture. A "renovation list" released by the US media in 2018 showed that Trump made a comprehensive renovation of the building and courtyard after he moved into the White House. One of the more conspicuous transformations is the replacement of a white baroque wallpaper and golden curtains in the presidential office. A White House official once revealed that Trump tried to "recover the former glory and glory of the White House" through this transformation.