Tree planted by Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron on White House lawn mysteriously disappears
The oak sapling – a gift from the French President to the US leader – lasted less than five days
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The tree planted by Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron to mark the strong ties between the US and France has mysteriously disappeared.
Photos of the area of White House lawn where the oak sapling was placed in a ceremony last week now show only a patch of yellowing grass.
The French President had tweeted a video of himself and the US President shovelling soil around the tree on Monday during the French leader's visit to Washington.
Mr Macron said the sapling came from Belleau Wood, the site of a World War I battle during which nearly 2,000 US soldiers were killed.
He described it as his gift to Mr Trump to act as "a reminder at the White House of these ties that bind us."
Images of the ceremonial planting became the subject of a series of internet memes suggesting it was a Sopranos episode or a Pink Floyd album cover.
The tree's disappearance a few days later sparked speculation that it had been ripped out by Mr Trump in anger at the French leader's speech to Congress.
Although the White House has refused to comment, it has been reported that the tree was removed only temporarily because of quarantine rules imposed by US Customs on the importation of plants and seeds.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments