Trump Continues Renovations with Rose Garden Statue Additions and East Wing Demolition
TL/DR –
President Donald Trump has been adding statues of founding fathers to the White House Rose Garden during his renovation, with the latest addition being Thomas Jefferson. Unlike the other statues which are on loan, the Jefferson statue was a gift created by Colorado-based sculptor George Lundeen and portrays Jefferson sitting on a bench writing the Declaration of Independence. At the end of Trump’s term, the National Archives could transfer the statue to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library in Miami, or it could be donated back to the White House, where it would become the property of the White House and be maintained by the White House Usher’s office and the National Park Service.
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Trump commends East Wing demolition amid ballroom project
President Trump remarked on the demolition of the East Wing for his new ballroom.
The White House Rose Garden bloom? With Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, and Jefferson in a row.
President Donald Trump’s Rose Garden redesign features founding fathers’ statues. A new addition is Thomas Jefferson.
Ben Franklin, the oldest founding father, stands across George Washington. Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Treasury Secretary, is next to a sculpture called Freedom\’s Charge.
Unlike other statues, the Jefferson statue, a gift from sculptor George Lundeen, shows him sitting on a bench writing the Declaration of Independence.
Lundeen also created a bronze statue of Trump titled the Defiance Monument, capturing Trump’s reaction after the 2024 assassination attempt. A life-sized version can be seen at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The National Archives may transfer the statue to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library at the end of Trump\’s term, a White House official reported. It could also be loaned or donated back to the White House.
In case of donation, the White House Usher’s office and the National Park Service would maintain the statue.
Editions of the bronze statue, featured at Sorrel Sky Gallery in New York, ask for $90,000. Other locations include the University of Missouri and Booth Western Art Museum in Georgia. invaluable.com
The Jefferson statue faces the Truman Balcony and will face the Rose Garden and Oval Office when installed correctly.
Trump puts his design stamp on the White House, from the Oval Office to Rose Garden lawn. Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom construction project, which required East Wing demolition, drew criticism.
Other Trump projects include the Triumphal Arch and Reflecting Pool renovation.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent. Follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
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