Perhaps in a profound metaphor for the eternal cycle of life and death, a replacement for Emmanuel Macron’s late “friendship tree” is on its way (reincarnated as a birch tree this time around).
Macron has confirmed that the “friendship tree” he presented as a gift to the White House last year has died in quarantine, and that a replacement has been sent.
The original oak tree from Belleau Wood was uprooted from the White House lawn, wrapped in plastic and placed into quarantine once media attention moved on – apparently this quarantine process is “mandatory for any living organism imported into America” which is worth bearing in mind when planning future holidays, especially as the tree died in quarantine.
President Macron insists that a dead tree and a yellow patch of grass does not symbolise the relationship between France and the USA – it’s not a drama. Which presumably means it isn’t a psychodrama either.