Last Updated on August 8, 2021
The office of Melania Trump released a statement on Sunday rebuking false claims by liberal historian Michael Beschloss that she “eviscerated” the White House Rose Garden during the administration of President Beschloss. Beschloss’ claim, posted on Saturday, received thousands of likes and retweets on Twitter despite being debunked over a year ago by fact checkers at USA Today.
“Evisceration of White House Rose Garden was completed a year ago this month, and here was the grim result—decades of American history made to disappear,” Beschloss proclaimed on Saturday in a post that has accumulated over 20,000 likes. The post was then shared around by other known purveyors of misinformation, such as MSNBC’s Joy Reid.
The Office of Melania Trump was quick to rebuke the misinformation shared by Beschloss on Sunday, stating, “@BeschlossDC has proven his ignorance by showing a picture of the Rose Garden in its infancy. The Rose Garden is graced with a healthy & colorful blossoming of roses. His misleading information is dishonorable & he should never be trusted as a professional historian.”
.@BeschlossDC has proven his ignorance by showing a picture of the Rose Garden in its infancy. The Rose Garden is graced with a healthy & colorful blossoming of roses. His misleading information is dishonorable & he should never be trusted as a professional historian. https://t.co/LU243SANF1 pic.twitter.com/PuVOSjxx5w
— Office of Melania Trump (@OfficeofMelania) August 8, 2021
The claim that Melania Trump destroyed Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden was debunked in August 2020 by USA Today.
“The flowering trees visible in photos of the Rose Garden before the renovation were actually crabapple trees, not cherry trees, per the White House Historical Association. They also weren’t ‘chopped down,'” USA Today noted, adding, “The crabapple trees have not been permanently removed from the White House. The 10 trees will be replanted elsewhere on the grounds after they are cared for offsite, per the Associated Press and C-SPAN.”
“Based on our research, claims that first lady Melania Trump removed historic cherry trees and roses in her recent renovation of the White House’s Rose Garden are FALSE,” USA Today concluded. “The trees that were relocated were crabapple trees, and roses from previous gardens had likely already died or been replaced before the renovation.”
