President Donald Trump says he has fired a landscaping subcontractor that damaged the new Rose Garden limestone project with “a huge gash,” showing the president’s attention to detail and rejection of shoddy work.
“At the White House, I am very proud of the beautiful stonework we did in the Rose Garden, in this case, using limestone plus,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post on Saturday. “The Rose Garden is completed, and far more beautiful than anyone ever had in mind when it was conceived of, decades ago.
“Three days ago, while admiring the stonework, I happened to notice a huge gash in the limestone that extended more than 25 yards long. It was deep and nasty! I started yelling, ‘Who did this, and I want to find out now!’ — And I didn’t say this in a nice manner.
“I wondered, ‘was it vandalism or, was it stupidity?'”
Trump’s post came with a video showing how the subcontractor damaged the limestone walkway.
“Lo and behold, because of the fact that we’ve installed the finest security equipment anywhere, they brought back the stupid people, with their boss watching (in sunglasses!),” Trump’s post continued.
“It was a subcontractor that was installing heavy landscaping on a steel cart that was broken and tilting badly, with it rubbing hard against the soft, beautiful stone. I love and respect great workers and contractors, but something like this should never happen.”
The story hearkens back to the days of Trump campaign rallies, where he used to say he was not going to pay for contractors that set up mics and teleprompters that would fail during his marathon speeches.
The Rose Garden subcontractor was not only getting fired and banned, but also was going to be on the hook for the replacement.
“Now, I’ll replace the stone, charge the contractor, and never let that contractor work at the White House again — but, how great is the video equipment?” Trump’s post concluded. “We caught them, cold. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Under Trump’s Rose Garden renovations, the iconic central lawn was removed and replaced with a paved patio — constructed from pale, diamond-patterned slabs reminiscent of a terrace — to address issues like soggy grass and footwear instability during events. The roses and hedges remain, but the garden now functions more like an open courtyard.
“I used, at the White House, the most beautiful marble and stone available anywhere,” Trump hailed at the start of his post. “Surfaces are very important to me as a builder. As everyone knows, I built many great buildings, and other things, over the years.”
The Trump Rose Garden project is estimated to have cost $1.9 million, but the project is reportedly privately funded and not costing taxpayers.
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