The Saga of the Tree has a sad ending, it turns out: A sapling given to US President Donald Trump by French President Emmanuel Macron to great fanfare has died, according to French news reports — and the symbolism wasn't lost on people who noted the strained relationship between the world leaders.
The roots of the story go back to April 2018, when the Macron-Trump friendship was being described as a "bromance," and the French President and his wife, Brigitte, were feted at the only state dinner the Trumps have hosted.
The Macrons presented the Trumps with a tree meant to embody the close ties between their respective countries, and the foursome planted it on the White House lawn with gold-toned shovels in a photo op designed to highlight Franco-American unity.
Things seemed amiss shortly afterward when reporters noticed that it had been removed from its spot. But then-French Ambassador Gerard Araud assured people there was no message behind the uprooting. He tweeted that the young oak had simply been put in a standard-issue quarantine.
It seems that the sapling didn't survive its exile. Le Monde reported the demise, confirmed to the Agence France-Presse by a "diplomatic source." The French Embassy didn't immediately respond to our query.
