Unveiling the Transformation: How Trump's White House Ballroom Replaced the Iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Garden

The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at the White House is reportedly facing changes due to President Trump’s proposed plans to construct a new ballroom in the area previously occupied by the East Wing. This development has sparked interest and concern as the garden holds significant historical value.

Satellite images published by Ars Technica (as well as aerial images from a commercial flight out of DC) appeared to show the Kennedy Garden completely torn up as of last week. In photos taken Sunday, construction equipment and debris were seen where the garden’s trees, bushes and I.M. Pei-designed pergola were once located.

As of now, there has been no confirmation from the U.S. National Park Service regarding the potential relocation of the garden’s plants or its iconic pergola. The silence leaves many wondering about the future of this cherished space.

Established in 1965, the garden was named in honor of Jacqueline Kennedy, recognizing her influential role in rejuvenating the White House’s outdoor areas during her husband’s presidency. Her dedication to enhancing these spaces is commemorated in the garden’s design.

Upon its dedication, then-first lady Lady Bird Johnson praised the garden, noting that “every detail of it reflects the unfailing taste of the gifted and gracious Jacqueline Kennedy.” This statement highlights the garden’s significance as a tribute to Kennedy’s legacy.

Curiously, alongside these developments, there’s a little-known fact about the White House’s amenities: it houses a seldom-seen swimming pool. The exact location of this pool remains a topic of intrigue for many.

Hillary Clinton also once used the garden as a temporary sculpture area, honoring Native American artists while displaying their work.

First lady Jill Biden urges the crowd to greet people before reading to children in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on Monday, April 10, 2023, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
First lady Melania Trump participates in flag decorating during a Take Our Child to Work Day event in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at the White House, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is seen with the White House behind it in Washington Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. Tens of thousands of people are expected to stream through the White House gates this weekend for a rare opportunity to see the fragrant roses, blue salvias and towering, decades-old trees that beautify the president’s back yard. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, speaks to the Independent Community Bankers Association, Monday, May 1, 2017, in the Kennedy Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
A soccer goal net is set up on the lawn of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden of the White House, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton pauses at Doug Hyde’s “Flag Song” in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at the White House Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1997 as she opened an exhibition “Twentieth Century American Sculptures at the White House: Honoring Native Americans.” (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
First lady Laura Bush gives a tour of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at the White House for members of the media Friday, April 16, 2004 in Washngton. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy (later Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis), was among the most vocal critics of Trump’s destruction of the gardens his grandmother re-established.

“My grandmother saw America in full color — Trump sees black and white,” Schlossberg wrote on Instagram. “Where she planted flowers, he poured concrete. She brought life to the White House, because our landmarks should inspire and grow with our country.

“Her Rose Garden is gone, but the spirit of the Kennedy White House lives on — in the young at heart, the strong in spirit, and in a new generation answering the call to service,” he said.

In his post, Schlossberg shared a photo of his uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., playing in the White House’s Rose Garden as a young boy. He juxtaposed the picture with an image of the same area under construction earlier this year, when President Trump had it replaced with a tiled patio area.

A recent YouGov poll appears to suggest the majority of Americans are not in favor of Trump’s ballroom plans either, with 53% against the idea and only 24% approving of the construction. (Trump had initially claimed that plans for the ballroom would not interfere with any existing White House structures, but later went back on that statement.)

Trump’s removal of the East Wing also raised questions on whether he’s exceeding his authority to remodel historic structures in Washington D.C. Speaking with The Hill, an administration official with the National Capital Planning Commission — an agency that approves plans for such renovations — said last week that they hadn’t yet received formal construction plans for the ballroom.

A spokesperson for the White House Historical Association — a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded with the help of Jacqueline Kennedy, was not available to discuss the removal of her namesake garden with Nexstar. But a representative pointed to a statement issued last week, which explained that archivists had rushed to document photos and obtain objects of historical value as soon as they learned of the demolition plans.

“Upon announcement of the Ballroom construction project by the White House, the White House Historical Association supported the preservation of East Wing history through a comprehensive digital scanning project and photography to create an historic record,” reads a portion of the statement.

“The East Wing and gardens have been captured in detail for the benefit of our nation and historic artifacts from the East Wing have been preserved and stored.”

Unveiling the Transformation: How Trump’s White House Ballroom Replaced the Iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Garden

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