Melania Trump said she is keeping the White House kitchen vegetable garden started by Michelle Obama because, at heart, she sees her role as first lady as "caretaker and nurturer."
The first lady made the comment through a spokeswoman during a visit with Akie Abe, the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida, reported CNN.
"The first lady has a deep personal commitment to her role as caretaker and nurturer, beginning with her family," said Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, senior adviser to the first lady.
"She believes there is a connection between a child's mind and places of calm and beauty to be used as a tool for us all. As a mother and as the first lady of this country, Mrs. Trump is committed to the preservation and continuation of the White House Gardens, specifically the first lady's kitchen garden and the rose garden."
Michelle Obama's kitchen garden took root on the South Lawn of the White House in 2009, covering 2,800 square feet, according to the National Parks Service's website. The garden provided locally-grown food for the first family and White House guests.
"Although the White House Kitchen Garden is a recent addition, there is a long tradition of produce-growing at the White House," said the National Parks Service. "President John Adams planned the first vegetable garden on the White House grounds in 1797."
"Many presidents and first ladies continued the practice by planting fruit trees, orchards, and establishing greenhouses. During World War II, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden at the White House, encouraging all Americans to grow their own food to overcome supply shortages during the war."
Politico last year reported that the White House made arrangements with the National Park Service to oversee the garden's upkeep. Obama, who started the garden as part of her childhood obesity campaign, received $2.5 million in private funding for maintenance to cut cost to taxpayers.
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