The newly redone White House Rose Garden is having “issues with water drainage” and “some minor complications with updated construction” just a few weeks after its new look was unveiled to the public, a source told CNN. Efforts to renovate the garden, which dates back to the Kennedy Era, were spearheaded by First Lady Melania Trump, who held a private party on Aug. 22 to celebrate the completion of renovations, reported to have taken approximately three weeks. The Rose Garden's last public usage was on August 25, when the First Lady gave her Republican National Convention speech on artificial turf due to recent rainstorms. President Trump's Monday news conference was held on the North Portico because of the Rose Garden's current condition, the source told CNN. The president has also redirected his motorcade to Andrews Air Force Base, which prevents media from seeing ongoing construction efforts in the garden. According to The Washington Post, Trump’s re-election campaign is footing the bill for for new sod on both the White House South Lawn and Rose Garden after RNC events caused damage last month. “The sod is being replaced at no cost to taxpayers,” White House spokesman Judd Deere was quoted as saying by the Post.
