PresidentDonald Trumpdebuted thenewly paved Rose Gardenpatio in a Sept. 5 dinner for Washington insiders that he branded the "Rose Garden Club." Speaking to dinner guests on the patio paved in white concrete, formerly a grassy lawn, Trumpsaidthe "Rose Garden Club" will admit members of Congress, senators and "people that can bring peace and success to our country." Trump said he would havehosted a group of top level tech mogulswho attended a lavish White House dinner the night before on the new Rose Garden patio, but the weather prevented it. More:'The robots are here'. Melania Trump highlights AI as tech titans gather at White House Metal tables and chairs along with yellow umbrellas decorate a paved over historic White House Rose Garden lawn on August 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. "They didn't want to have rain on top of their beautiful heads," Trump said of the group, which included Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Meta, formerly Facebook, Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI founder Sam Altman.Elon Musk, who played a massive role in the first months of the second Trump administration leading the slashing of federal agencies, was absent. The tech magnates "could have endured a little rain, but I wanted you to be number one," Trump cooed to the tables of Washington insiders. Trump adviser Steven Cheungannouncedthe "club" opening on social media with a picture of a gold embossed stationary sheet reading "The Rose Garden Club at the White House" sitting next to a polished silverware set. Earlier this summer, Trump unveiled plans to pave over the Rose Garden, a historic spot outside the Oval Office that has served as thebackdrop of historic presidential momentsfor more than a century. The old garden, he told reporters on Aug. 3, was "always wet and damp." "When we had a press conference, you'dsink into the mud," he told reporters. "If it rained it would take three, four, five days to dry out and we couldn't use it really for the intended purpose." More:President Trump targets Washington DC's 'old, tired, exhausted' grass amid takeover The new design is reminiscent of the patio at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's luxury South Florida club. Yellow and white-striped umbrellas installed at the tables earlier this summer also added to the resemblance. More:War on weeds? Leaf-blowing, mulch-shoveling National Guard get green thumbs in DC parks The umbrellas were taken down for the "club" dinner, according to a picture posted on the White House's official X account. The picture showed suited-up diners seated on yellow cushions at around two dozen tables spaced out across the white concrete plaza. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump debuts 'Rose Garden Club' after iconic White House spot paved
