After the death of the first co-planted oak tree, French President Emmanuel Macron will now be sending US President Donald Trump a new sapling
To reinforce the strength of US-France bilateral ties, President Emmanuel Macron will send President Donald Trump a new sapling after the death of a co-planted oak tree.
During President Macron’s 2018 state-visit to Washington, the two leaders had planted an oak sapling on White House grounds.
The oak tree reasserted the special relationship between France and the United States. Due to fear of parasites from the tree infecting others, the plantation was put in quarantine.
Over the weekend, White House officials confirmed the death of the co-planted tree.
The death of the tree was widely perceived as a symbol of turbulent relations between the French President and his American counterpart.
Since the 2018 meet, President Macron and President Trump have failed to see eye-to-eye on many issues, including climate change, trade and more recently, Iran nuclear deal.
Dismissing all speculations over US-France tension, President Macron said, “We will send him another, it is not a tragedy.”
On the sidelines of a labour summit meeting in Geneva, the French President asserted, “Do not see symbols where there are none, the symbol was to plant it together.”
President Macron further clarified, “It turns out that this oak was put in quarantine for American sanitary reasons and the poor thing did not survive.”
The oak tree belonged to Belleau Wood in France, a site where over 2000 American soldiers died during World War I.
Subsequently, President Macron affirmed, “I’ll send another oak because I think the US Marines and the friendship for freedom between our peoples is well worth it.”
Also read: http://diplomacybeyond.com/towering-trade-tension-us-president-to-arrive-in-uk/