As GOP members of Congress flooded social media with photos of the inaugural dinner at the White House “Rose Garden Club,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) denounced the lavish display in light of the unsteady economy.
“Our economy is in a downward spiral, but don’t worry — the @GOP are spending their time cheersing Diet Cokes at a new, exclusive ‘club.'”
Newsom retweeted House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R) post from the event, where he wrote, “The grand opening of the new Rose Garden Club at the White House last night was epic. Thanks to @realDonaldTrump for his hospitality & visionary leadership.”
The dinner was held on the same day that disappointing job numbers pointed to a slowing economy and refueled talk of recession.
“We call it the Rose Garden Club,” Trump said Friday night to the
Trump added that he had intended to host tech executives at the “club,” including Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, but Thursday night rain forced him to move the party indoors.
“I had the high-tech guys here, and they didn’t want to have rain on top of their beautiful heads,” Trump said.
Trump paved over the grass of the famed Rose Garden and added tables, chairs, and umbrellas to shield the sun during daylight. Critics expressed their dismay on social media when the paved-over “patio” was revealed, with some calling it “appalling.”
The Associated Press claimed the new space looked “strikingly similar to the outdoor setup at [Trump’s] Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.”
A White House spokesperson told People in June that the president and first lady “have deep respect for the history of the White House and for the Rose Garden” and called the project a “restoration” that “preserves the beauty of the space and builds on the work done in 2020,” when Melania Trump added a limestone border to the garden.