Latest news with #DaleHaney
New York Post
23-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
New spot for Old Glory as Trump announces self-funded change to White House
President Trump unveiled his latest plans to shakeup the White House grounds on Wednesday — announcing he will pay for two large flag poles. The president came out of the residence in the morning to survey the grounds on the north side and was spotted with groundskeepers, who were spreading their arms, showing just how large the flags were going to be. 'We're putting up a beautiful, almost 100 foot tall American flag on this side and another one on the other side, two flags, top of the line,' he later told reporters outside the White House. Advertisement 4 President Trump speaks with Dale Haney, head White House grounds keeper and others, about a new flagpole on the North Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. AP There are currently no freestanding flag poles on the White House grounds, but there is an American flag flying from the top of the building. 'They needed flag poles for 200 years. It was something I've often said, you know, they don't have a flag pole per se. So we're putting one right where you saw us, and we're putting another one on the other side, on top of the mounds. It's going to be two beautiful poles.' Advertisement 'Paid for by Trump,' the president added, noting they are set to arrive next week. The two flags, one on the north side and one on the South Lawn, are just the latest changes to the White House grounds. 4 Trump told reporters the flag polls will be nearly 100ft and will arrive next week. AFP via Getty Images He's already announced plans to rebuild the Rose Garden to include a platform — instead of the current grass — to make it easier to hold events and deliver speeches with an audience present on pavement without having to stand on soggy ground. Advertisement Trump has also floated building a ball room in the White House, just like he has at Mar-a-Lago. He said he proposed the $100 million idea to the Biden administration, but 'never heard back.' This time, he's going to make the proposal to himself to have 'more room' and hold ceremonies without needing a big tent. 4 Trump waved to reporters and told them about his flag pole plans. Getty Images 4 The White House has a flag at the top of the building. Orhan íam – Advertisement Beyond that, Trump has transformed the Oval Office to include more portraits of past presidents, and has lined the walls with gold, reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago grand estate. The molding on the walls, the picture frames, the doors and several statues are all adorned in gold. The president personally helped plant a replacement tree at the South Lawn after the historic nearly 200-year-old magnolia tree was deemed to be in poor condition and a safety hazard. He used a golden shovel to place dirt for the new 12-year-old sapling that is said to be a descendant of the original Jackson Magnolia.
Fox News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump to plant new Jackson magnolia tree after White House chop-down: 'We've done everything for this tree'
Washington, DC – President Donald Trump is expected to plant a young sapling from a historic White House Southern Magnolia tree on Tuesday. The sapling is 12 years old and was grown at the offsite National Park Service Greenhouse in preparation for the removal of its parent tree, the "Jackson Magnolia." On Monday, the rain did not stop the chopping down of the tree, considered one of the oldest on the White House complex. The Jackson Magnolia sat on the South Lawn Grounds along the west side of the South Portico. The American Society of Consulting Arborists did an assessment of the tree, with an official reporter concluding that the tree has "surpassed the time of serving as an aesthetic and historic landmark due to the potential harm it may cause because of the risk of structural failure." The report also recommended the tree's removal. "To eliminate the risk of personal injury and/or property damage, this tree should be removed as soon as can be scheduled," it noted. Aborists, in coordination with the White House Grounds team and NPS, cut the tree down in sections using a chainsaw, then lowered the parts with wires. Dale Haney, White House Grounds superintendent, told Fox News Digital that he "hate[d] to see it go," but the tree needed to be taken down. (See the video at the top of this article.) "We have done everything for this tree to keep it up," said Haney. "In 1984, during the Reagan years, we put a metal pole in the back of the tree to support it, and we tied it off, and we probably have 50 or 60 ties to the pole through the tree and to the other trees around it to keep it from coming down," he added. A National Park Service spokesperson said in a statement, "Despite ongoing preservation efforts, the 'Jackson Magnolia' has reached the end of its lifespan and must be removed due to safety concerns." The average lifespan of a Southern magnolia is 100 years. The White House Grounds comprise the oldest continually maintained landscape in the U.S. The property contains 33 commemorative plantings. "After expert analysis and careful coordination between a board-certified master arborist, National Park Service, the White House Grounds superintendent, the White House Executive Residence and its Office of the Curator, the Offices of the President and the First Lady, the White House has made the careful decision to remove the Jackson Magnolia to ensure the safety of staff, visitors and the Grounds themselves," said a White House spokesperson. The White House Executive Residence, plus the Office of the Curator, will ensure the preservation of the salvageable remnants of the "Jackson Magnolia" and use those for future saplings, Fox News Digital was told. "Remnants of the old tree will be preserved by the Office of the Curator and honored by the White House, and this new tree will continue the heritage of the 'Jackson Magnolia' for generations to come," said the White House spokesperson. The NPS spokesperson said the "sapling from the original tree will continue the tradition of honoring this tree's history while investing in the future." A sample of the Jackson Magnolia will be saved by NPS for historical purposes. "The rest of the wood will be given to the Executive Residence at the White House, which is part of the Executive Office of the President," the spokesperson added. In a recent Truth Social post, President Trump said he was working with "the wonderful people at the National Park Service" to make "tremendous enhancements to the White House, thereby preserving and protecting History!" A sample of the Jackson Magnolia will be saved for historical purposes. He added, "One of the interesting dilemmas is a tree planted many years ago by the Legendary President and General, Andrew Jackson. It is a Southern Magnolia that came from his home, The Hermitage, in Tennessee. That's the good news!" He also said, "The bad news is that everything must come to an end, and this tree is in terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed." See the exclusive video below of the tree coming down on Monday, April 7.
