Bill Clinton Faults Congress for Not Protesting Donald Trump's Rose Garden

Former President Bill Clinton said Congress "made a mistake" by not protesting the paving of the White House Rose Garden, telling a Florida crowd on Tuesday that the remade space looks like "the entrance to Liberace's bathroom."

Clinton made the remark at the Koinonia Worship Center in Broward County while campaigning for David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor. Jolly's campaign had announced the appearance as a 6:30 p.m. livestream event.

"I think Congress made a mistake, not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace's bathroom," Clinton said.

Liberace, the pianist, was known for the candelabra on his piano, piano-shaped rings, fur capes and luxury cars, and a museum was devoted to his costumes, cars and treasures.

Clinton did not name Donald Trump in the line. He also did not say which lawmakers should have objected or what Congress could have done. Elsewhere in the speech he went after the president by name, saying, "I'm tired of the way we treat our allies like dirt," The Palm Beach Post reported.

What Changed in the White House Rose Garden

Trump announced the plan in a March 2025 Fox News interview, complaining that the lawn made outdoor events hard. "Every event you have, it's soaking wet, it's soaking wet. People and women with the high heels, it's just too much," he said.

The grass was replaced with pavement and gravel, and the rose plantings were kept. The White House would not say what the project cost but said it was privately funded through the Trust for the National Mall.

What Congress Has Done on White House Changes

On September 5, 2025, Trump hosted about 100 guests there, mostly House Republicans plus some GOP senators. "We call it the Rose Garden Club. And it's a club for senators, for congresspeople and for people in Washington," Trump told them.

The biggest fight over White House changes has been the ballroom being built where the East Wing used to stand, and it went to court before it reached Congress. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, ruling in a suit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, issued a preliminary injunction finding the group "likely to succeed" and saying the project must pause pending congressional approval. The order took effect after a 14-day delay, and work on the security bunkers could continue. The president, Leon wrote, "is not, however, the owner!"

Senate Republicans then moved legislation to authorize and pay for the ballroom. As of April 2026, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was the only Senate Democrat who had publicly backed it. Clinton's remark on Tuesday was about the Rose Garden only. He did not mention the ballroom or the East Wing.

What To Watch Next

Clinton's audience was there for Jolly, the Democratic nominee, who faces Byron Donalds. Donalds leads by 4.5 points in PolitiKool's polling average for the Florida governor's race.

Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot by 8.5 points in PolitiKool's polling average. Clinton did not say what he wanted lawmakers to do about the Rose Garden now, or whether he wanted the grass restored. The paving is already finished, and Trump has already used the space to host members of Congress.