Where an oak sapling once stood on the White House lawn, now lies an empty patch of grass—and the French media are using it as "a metaphor ... for the deteriorating relations between the US and Europe," per Deutsche Welle. The tree that used to stand on that patch of grass was jointly planted last spring by President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron to represent the friendship between the US and France, but the Guardian notes that French outlets started reporting some sad news last week: The tree is dead.
A few days after the symbolic planting in April 2018, the tree was gone, placed in temporary quarantine per US rules required of any living organism brought into the country. It was to stay locked away for two years before being replanted, but a diplomatic source tells AFP the tree ended up not making it, though it's not clear when exactly it died. Coincidence or not, USA Today notes the strained relationship between the two nations since, on everything from the hubbub around Iran's nuclear capabilities to "the resurgence of nationalist forces in Europe." (More trees stories.)
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