A young oak gifted to Donald Trump by French leader Emmanuel Macron has sadly died.
The tree, which came from Belleau Wood in France where almost 2,000 American troops died in combat in June 1918, was purportedly a symbol of the ‘ties that bind’ France and the US. It was planted in the White House lawn with much fanfare last year.
The tree was soon uprooted however, as it had reportedly not gone through proper quarantine procedures. The oak did not survive quarantine.
Commentators see the oak’s death as a fitting event to reflect the now broken state of affairs between Donald Trump and the French President, whose relationship has deeply soured over time due to disagreements on trade, immigration, and other issues.