Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump planted a new sapling on Tuesday to replace a nearly 200-year-old tree at the White House — dubbing it a “MAGAnolia” after his “Make America Great Again” slogan. The historic “Jackson Magnolia,” believed to have been planted by President Andrew Jackson in the 19th century, was chopped down for safety reasons on Monday. The tree had shaded the White House’s South Portico for the majority of US presidencies, but it had been in bad shape since a small plane landed on the South Lawn and crashed into it in 1994, killing the pilot.
The White House said in a post on X that Trump had “planted a new MAGAnolia sapling at the White House — a direct descendant of the historic ‘Jackson Magnolia.'” Reporters were not given access to the planting ceremony, but the White House posted a video on social media of Trump digging into the ground with a gold-plated shovel and posing with a gardener. The new, 12-year-old sapling is descended from the original tree, which, according to tradition, Jackson planted to honor his wife, who died just before his swearing-in in 1829. The old tree was itself purportedly a sapling brought from his home in Tennessee.
The tree was the oldest on the White House grounds, according to the National Park Service, which notes that starting in the 1870s, most presidents began planting their own commemorative trees. “The bad news is that everything must come to an end,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in March as he announced that the tree would have to be chopped down. He said the magnolia was “in terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed.” Trump added that some of its wood would be preserved “and may be used for other high and noble purposes.” A report by arborists said the tree could cause harm because of a “risk of structural failure.”
The White House gardens already made headlines this year when Trump said he was planning to pave over the grass of the famed Rose Garden, to give it the patio-like feel of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
© 2024 AFP
