The wife of Donald Trump’s far-right deputy chief of staff has criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom after he targeted the president’s latest renovation project.
Katie Miller, who is married to powerful Trump aide Stephen Miller, appeared on Tomi Lahren’s podcast to defend the once-iconic White House Rose Garden, now paved over to closely resemble the president’s Florida Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump unveiled the revamped plaza this weekend with a dinner for Republican allies. The redesigned space, stripped of most of its historic greenery, was widely mocked online, with critics calling it evidence of Trump’s “lack of beauty, poetry, or humanity.”
But Miller, 33, was apparently thrilled with the results, praising the “beautification” and defending the removal of the iconic lawn.
“When President Trump pays out of his own pocket to beautify the White House and make it so Republicans, especially those in Congress, as we saw Friday night, can have the chance to come together after hours… they need to have those moments,” Miller said.
The White House Rose Garden has been remade to resemble Mar-a-Lago Pool/Getty Images 
People attend a dinner for lawmakers, held by Donald Trump on the newly renovated Rose Garden patio, at the White House. Brian Snyder/Brian Snyder/Reuters
She added that the revamped area would help the GOP “find common ground,” explaining: “Often that comes over meals and social gatherings in D.C. And that I consider work.”
Newsom was among the critics of the renovation and subsequent dinner, reposting a series of photos from House Speaker Mike Johnson on X, while claiming: “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.’”
When questioned on Newsom’s take, Miller was clearly unimpressed.
“It’s incredibly hypocritical when you have Gavin Newsom stand up and complain about about that, but not about portions of the Democrat party,” she said.
“To me, that’s what makes politics so disgusting to the American people. You just want to see every one get along and work for the benefit of you and your family. Safe streets, safe communities. That’s not what Gavin Newsom is doing. All he’s doing is dunking on President Trump… no one’s delivered more action and results for the American people than President Trump, that’s all he does, every day.
Chiming in, Lahren said the criticism of Trump’s renovations represents a larger issue with Democrats.
“It really feels like Democrats want this country to look like a third-world nation,” she said. “Whether it be crime or infrastructure or just the overall beautification… it’s like, ‘No, leave it ugly.’”
Trump has paved over the White House Rose Garden, which now more closely resembles the pool patio at his Mar-a-Lago club—even the yellow and white-striped umbrellas have a striking similarity to those at Trump’s Florida resort. Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Trump has justified tearing up the famous lawn by claiming it would make it easier for “women, with the high heels,” to use the space.
Trump doubled down on this explanation on Friday night, telling his assembled allies that the grass in the former garden “was not usable. Every time we’d have a press conference, women in particular were sinking deep into the mud and at some point I said, ‘You know it’s time to make the change.’”