- Oak sapling came from a WWI battlefield where 9000 US Marines perished
- Macron tweeted ‘this oak tree will be a reminder at the White House of the ties that bind us’
- The presidents and their wives were pictured planting the tree Monday evening
- Twitter had a blast with the awkward poses during the presidential planting
Where did it go?
The tree that President Trump planted with French President Emmanuel Macron is no longer on the South Lawn of the White House, instead there is a patch of discolored grass.
The sapling, a European Sessile Oak, was a gift during the State visit of the French president and his wife. In making the gift the French president tweeted, ‘This Oak Tree, (my gift to @realDonaldTrump) will be a reminder at the White House of these ties that bind us.’ Macron was referring to the World War I Battle of Belleau which was 100 years ago this June. 9000 US Marines were killed in the battle.
On Monday, Presidents Trump and Macron, and First Ladies Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron strode across the South Lawn for a photo op planting the tree.
President Emmanuel Macron tweeted about the significance of his gift as he and President Trump ‘planted’ the tree.
Presidents Trump (l) and Macron (r) shovel dirt onto the sapling as their wives look on
In a photo from Saturday a patch of yellowing grass is all there is where the sapling stood on Monday
With the small tree already in the ground, Presidents Trump and Macron took turn pouring dirt over the tree’s roots.
It was the photo op that launched a thousand memes, as people noticed everything from the first ladies’ poses, to the fact that the gift might have been a not-so-subtle reminder that Trump backed out of the Paris Climate Accord.
And many many comments on wearing stilettos in grass!
Some tweeters thought the tree was a not-so-subtle message about climate change
Twitter had fun with the photo, and everything from the wives’ stilletos to Melania’s hand
But now the tree is gone.
Reuters, on Saturday posted a picture of a patch of uneven, yellowed grass where the planting photo was taken.
The White House has not commented on where the tree is now.
The yellow spot seen here is where the tree that Macron gave Trump was planted
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