Petition asks Jill Biden to undo Melania Trump's changes to the White House rose garden
The former first lady was criticized for replacing cherry trees "with a boring tribute to herself."
An online petition calling on America's First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to undo Melania Trump's changes to the White House rose garden, has been signed by 40,000 people.
The petition on Change.org reads: "In 2019, Melania Trump had the cherry trees, a gift from Japan, as well as the rest of her foliage taken away from her and she replaced them with a boring tribute to herself."
He also says the changes "shattered" Jackie Kennedy's legacy. "We want Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff to take care of this and restore the rose garden to Jackie's original design."
The petition aims to reach 50,000 signatures.
The White House's newly renovated Rose Garden was unveiled by Melania Trump in August last year as the United States struggled to contain the number of COVID cases and deaths.
Trump was severely criticized on social media for pushing for renewal despite the pandemic and civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd's death.
She later said that "the very act of planting a garden involves hard work and hope in the possibility of a bright future."
The White House had said the renovation would return the Rose Garden to its original 1962 plan in an attempted renovation of the design first implemented by Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon during the Kennedy administration.
The White House rose garden was first planted during the Wilson administration, but it was the efforts of John F Kennedy that transformed the space, according to The Washington Post. He led the garden transformation project.
The Rose Garden was used more frequently during the pandemic to hold press conferences, allowing people to socially distance themselves. It was also the scene of Donald Trump's executive order announcements, speeches and interviews at a time of national emergency.
