Published 19:25 IST, June 13th 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron offers to send USA President Donald Trump a replacement friendship oak
At the time of planting the tree, Emmanuel Macron had tweeted that the tree served as “a reminder at the White House of these ties that bind us.” However, things had turned rife between the two in the past couple of months with USA President threatening to impose tariffs on wine imports.
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Confirming the demise of the “friendship tree” that the French President, Emmanuel Macron, had presented as a gift to the White House last year, he stated on June 12 that a replacement of the tree was on its way to the USA President.
The tree, which was meant to symbolize the tenacity of friendship between the two nations, France and USA, was originally planted by the two leaders together in April 2018 when Emmanuel Macron made his first official state visit the White House. The tree was taken from Belleau Wood in France the site of a World War I battle in which thousands of U.S. Marines died defending France against Germany’s invasion.
At the time of planting the tree, Emmanuel Macron had tweeted that the tree served as “a reminder at the White House of these ties that bind us.” However, things had turned rife between the two in the past couple of months with USA President threatening to impose tariffs on wine imports.
A newspaper in France described the death of the tree as “a metaphor for a relationship that isn’t what it was.”But Macron urged people to “not see symbols where there are none.The symbol was to plant it together,” he added.
However justifying the death of the tree as well as brushing aside rumours of being a tragedy, French President, Emmanuel Macron said,
“It turns out that this oak was put in quarantine for American sanitary reasons and the poor thing did not survive,” France’s political leader added. “I’ll send another oak because I think the U.S. Marines and the friendship for freedom between our peoples is well worth it.”
The two leaders recently marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day together, with Emmanuel Macron who had been an outspoken critic of Trump's nationalism and isolationist tendencies using the occasion to send a message to his American visitor.
"America is never as big as when it is fighting for the freedom of others," he said.
13:21 IST, June 13th 2019