WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House South Lawn and its iconic Rose Garden are undergoing extensive re-sodding and other work after last month’s Republican National Convention turned them into a muddy mess.
Crews have been working to repair damage to the public grounds, including browning of the South Lawn and mud patches in the Rose Garden, after the spaces were used as backdrops for President Donald Trump’s convention events.
First lady Melania Trump delivered her convention speech in the newly-refurbished Rose Garden and the president formally accepted his party’s nomination on the South Lawn in front of more than a thousand people seated in rows of closely-packed white chairs, despite the ongoing pandemic.
“The sod is being replaced at no cost to taxpayers. Additionally, there has been other planned infrastructure work taking place on the south grounds,” said White Housespokesman Judd Deere.
The president’s reelection campaign is paying for the work.
The Rose Garden repairs come just weeks after the White House completed a major and controversial renovation of the garden intended, in part, to improve drainage infrastructure.
