Unless you've been an exclusive Fox News viewer or Breitbart reader, you probably realize that America's status on the world's stage has been tarnished quite a bit from the Mad Tweeter.
It took about a year of uncomfortable face-to-face meetings with Germany's Angela Merkel, and Canada's Justin Trudeau as well as petulant phone calls with Mexico's Enrique Peña Nieto and Australia's PM Malcolm Turnbull for France's president Emmanuel Macron figure out the right way to work Trump to get what he wants: be his overt buddy, let him do his alpha male thing, and bring gifts.
The gift Macron brought was an oak sapling from a World War I battle site in northern France. It was to be a symbol of both the long-standing and growing relationship between the two nations.
But all Macron had to do was leave the country and that gift disappeared.
One small patch of yellowed grass is all that remains of the sapling, a Reuters photographer noticed on Saturday. The tree was a European sessile oak, taken from the site of the Battle of Belleau Wood, which took place in summer 1918 during World War I. It was brought over by Macron for his White House visit and was meant to symbolize the strength of Franco-American friendship.
Before we suspect any foul play, though, there may be a less troubling and more botanical reason for the tree’s departure. The French Huffington Post spoke to a source at Élyseé Palace, who told the publication that the tree was likely in quarantine, as it is not a native species and must go through U.S. customs checks.
Well, we all know how Trump feels about migrants and border checks.
