Harlan Crow Lent the Washington Statue in Trump's Paved-Over Rose Garden, and Two More Came From Donors the White House Won't Name

The Associated Press reported on Aug. 22 that the statues President Trump has installed in the White House Rose Garden, after paving its lawn with white stone resembling the patio at his Mar-a-Lago club, came largely from private parties. The White House said the George Washington statue was lent by Harlan Crow, the Texas real estate developer and Republican donor known for his friendship with Justice Clarence Thomas, and that the Franklin and Hamilton statues are from anonymous donors. A bronze of Thomas Jefferson was a gift from Colorado sculptor George Lundeen.

Accepting loans and gifts for the executive mansion from unnamed private parties leaves no public record of who is furnishing the president's official residence or what, if anything, they seek. Crow's representatives did not respond to AP's messages.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said no president "has done more to beautify the White House and its surroundings." Trump is separately pursuing a National Garden of American Heroes near the National Mall, which preservation groups have sued to block.