Trump Hosts Police Week Dinner in Renovated Rose Garden, Touts D.C. Crime Drop of 90%

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump hosted his second “Rose Garden Club” dinner at the White House on Monday during Police Week, welcoming law enforcement officials and administration members to the newly renovated Rose Garden.

The president spoke for approximately 30 minutes, touching on a range of topics including recent renovations to the White House grounds, crime statistics in Washington D.C., and cost overruns tied to the National Mall’s reflecting pool.

Reflecting Pool Renovations

Trump detailed efforts to repair the reflecting pool that runs from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, criticizing previous administrations.

“President Obama, a man who was a great divider… he spent $54 million trying to fix it and it made it worse,” Trump said. “They’ve been trying to get it fixed for the last 40 years.”

The president claimed the project was estimated to cost 350 to 400 million and take four years. He said he instead called swimming pool contractors.

“I said, I think we can do it for less… $3 million and it’ll be finished this week,” Trump said, adding that workers removed 16 loads of garbage from the shallow pool. “The New York Times said we just gave it a little paint job. This is not paint. This is highly sophisticated stuff.”

He credited Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for supporting the approach. “Doug has been great and he went with me 100%,” Trump said.

Crime in Washington D.C.

Trump repeatedly cited dramatic improvements in public safety in the nation’s capital, contrasting conditions with the Biden administration.

“We took Washington D.C., which was a very, very dangerous place… under Sleepy Jill,” Trump said. “We took it from a really dangerous, horrible situation into one of the safest cities anywhere in our country in a period of really a few months.”

He claimed crime in Washington D.C. is down by 90%, adding that the administration removed over 5,000 career criminals from the city.

“2% of the people create 92% of the crime,” Trump said. “We get rid of 2% and you get rid of your crime.”

The president said White House employees now walk to work. “They come up to me, they say, ‘Thank you. It’s a safe city again.’ Restaurants are opening. The place is like hot.”

Law Enforcement Endorsements and Personnel

Trump recognized numerous officials in attendance, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Cash Pat Mattel, and DEA Administrator Terry Cole.

He praised Blanche for legal work prior to the administration. “He kept me out of jail for years. They would indict me left and right. The crooked Democrats… I go through court cases. I win them.”

The president also referenced Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yos, who endorsed Trump on behalf of 412,000 officers. “I said, ‘I’ll accept that. That’s pretty good.’”

He noted that U.S. Park Police Officer Ryan McDermott, recently shot in the line of duty, is expected to return to work soon.

Border and Immigration

Trump claimed zero illegal aliens have been admitted through the southern border over recent months and said nearly 615,000 illegal alien criminals have been removed from the country over the past 12 consecutive months.

“The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by over 60%… coming in by sea, it’s down by 97%,” he said.

He criticized former Vice President Kamala Harris for never contacting border officials during her tenure. “She never went there. She never called. But she did a quite a good job. We had about 25 million people come through totally unchecked.”

Trump also mocked Representative Ilhan Omar, saying: “She comes from a country where they have nothing but crime… and then she tells us how to run the United States of America.”

Death Penalty for Police Killers

Trump said he signed an executive order directing the attorney general that anyone convicted of killing a police officer should face the death penalty.

“That’s an easy one,” he said.

White House Renovations

The president noted he personally paid for new stonework at the White House and is building a ballroom with six-inch-thick safety glass.

“The columns were falling down, the plaster was falling off,” Trump said. “This place is tippy top now.”

He also joked about his wife’s reaction to replacing the Rose Garden grass with stone. “She said, ‘Darling, what did you do with my grass?’ I said, ‘People got tired of standing in mud.’”

Remarks on 2026 Elections

Trump warned that Democrats would “destroy our country” if Republicans do not perform well in the midterms, and he tested a new label for his political opponents.

“I said, he’s a Democrat. I don’t know if people are going to like that term or not… their policies are insane.”

The president closed by thanking law enforcement officers as “unbelievable people and patriots,” adding that he was setting aside discussions with Iran to join them for dinner.