Latest news with #MAGAnolia
Irish Daily Star
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Star
Trump branded as 'dumb Donnie' as he takes down historic White House flag in major lawn makeover
President Trump's tacky makeover of the White House continues. On Wednesday Trump was seen scoping out the north lawn of the White House to determine where to place one of two new flag poles, he told reporters. Trump confirmed he would be installing a 100 foot flag pole in front of the White House , in contrast to the current pole that stands at 70 feet tall. "We're putting up a beautiful, almost 100 foot tall American flag. On this and another one on the other side. Two flags. Top of the line. And they've needed flagpoles for 200 years," he said. "Paid for by Trump," he added. This comes just weeks after Trump chopped down historic tress on the White House lawn. Read More Related Articles Donald Trump branded 'dumbest president' after six-word geography confession Read More Related Articles White House branded 'narcissistic' after brief 5-word tribute to Pope This is not the first time Trump has put up an audacious flag pole (Image: AP) This is not the first time Trump has put up an audacious flag pole. In October 2006 Trump took it upon himself to put up an 80-foot flagpole on the front lawn of Mar-a-Lago, with a 15 feet by 25 feet American flag, all without getting a permit or a variance, Politico reported. Rule-breaker Trump defied the requirement that restricted flagpoles to be no higher than 42 feet and flags be a maximum of four feet by six feet. The town council fined Trump $250 a day for every day they remained on the estate, which grew to be a $120,000 fine. Trump then went on the defensive, going on national TV to complain that the Town of Palm Beach was unpatriotic. 'The town council of Palm Beach should be ashamed of itself,' Trump responded. 'They're fining me for putting up the American flag. This is probably a first in United States history.' He then filed a lawsuit against Palm Beach, asking for $25 million in damages to what he called an abridgment to his constitutional right to free speech. Trump eventually dropped his lawsuit over the flag, and in exchange the town waived its fines. Trump's latest flag pole endeavor comes weeks after he announced that one of the historic magnolias planted by President Andrew Jackson nearly 200 years ago will be removed, which comes amid controversial plans for the Jackie Kennedy rose garden. Trump planted a new young Magnolia tree — which he dubbed the "MAGAnolia" — on the South Grounds of the White House to replace the nearly 200-year-old tree he removed because of safety concerns. Trump said the tree was in "terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed." The announcement caused a stir in historian communities, however, with many remarking on the Jackson Magnolia's rich history. Seventh president Jackson brought the seeds from his home near Nashville, Tennessee back in 1829 to plant in memory of his late wife - and were depicted on the $20 bill. However, Trump has claimed "everything must come to an end," as the tree is too damaged and decayed to stay there. The decision to remove the tree followed an assessment by Peter Hart, a registered consulting arborist and member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists. He concluded that the tree had "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." Trump has also made significant changes to the White House's interior. Known for his gaudy gold flair, the New York real estate mogul unveiled a copy of the Declaration of Independence of 1776 sealed in a golden frame behind a curtain in the Oval Office. Trump has also hung up a golden-framed portrait of Ronald Reagan in lieu of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office, where headshots of United States presidents adorn its elongated walls, according to Trump's deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino. Other decor added to the Oval Office by Trump includes a large bronze statue of Civil War leader Abraham Lincoln and a mock FIFA World Cup trophy. He also reportedly tossed challenge coins, The Daily Mail reports. Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories.
Boston Globe
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump administration removes historic White House Kennedy magnolia at 'end of its natural life'
'Despite years of attentive care, the tree's condition steadily declined due to underlying soil issues and root disease,' Shanti said. 'Certified arborists confirmed that the tree entered a state of irreversible decline and needed to be removed for safety.' A new tree has been planted in its place, she said; photos taken by reporters and posted to social media indicate it is a type of maple. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In 2022, one of the four Kennedy magnolias was removed from the southeast corner of the garden due to declining health. Two of the original four trees planted by the Kennedy administration now remain in the Rose Garden. Advertisement But the just-removed tree occupied prime real estate at the corner of the Rose Garden closest to the Oval Office—putting it at the center of many of the space's most iconic and scenic moments. The tree 'stood witness to historic moments and hosted generations of Americans and world leaders under its canopy,' Shanti said. Swearings-in for Supreme Court justices, meetings between presidents and prime ministers, historic announcements, and countless bill signings have all unfolded under the tree's branches. Advertisement It is not the first historic tree on the White House grounds to be cut down by Trump in his second term. On April 7, the White House removed a nearly 200-year old magnolia tree at the iconic South Portico that some believed to be planted by President Andrew Jackson, in honor of his late wife. NPS officials determined the tree's deteriorating condition had become a safety hazard. Shortly afterward, Trump posed with a golden shovel to help plant the tree's replacement, a 12-year old sapling that is a descendant of the original magnolia. The president dubbed it a 'MAGAnolia.' In a social media post about the decision to cut down the Jackson tree, Trump hinted at future moves like it. 'Working together with a fantastic and very talented Executive Residence Staff, along with the wonderful people at the National Park Service, we are making tremendous enhancements to the White House, thereby preserving and protecting History!' he said. The roots of the Kennedy magnolia's significance, of course, lay with that famous president, and his First Lady, Jacqueline. The couple did not plant it themselves but conceived of the Rose Garden as a venue for entertaining and a stage for major moments in politics and diplomacy. Archival photos on the NPS web page for the magnolia trees show President Kennedy standing in the Rose Garden, not far from the tree, speaking in 1962 to a group of exchange teachers from the Fulbright program. But Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are pursuing broader renovations that could significantly change the look of key parts of the White House—most notably the Rose Garden itself. In February, the New York Times reported that Trump had told associates he wanted to rip the grass out of the Rose Garden and replace it with a hard outdoor floor like the patio at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida. The proposal has, predictably, divided Trump fans from White House history enthusiasts aghast at the prospect of the historic garden being paved over. Advertisement The President and First Lady's eagerness to revamp the Rose Garden dates back to his first term in office. In 2020, Melania Trump oversaw a significant rearranging of the area, which included removing a dozen crabapple trees that were planted by Jacqueline Kennedy and replanting them elsewhere on the property. (Trump said that her goal was to align the garden more with how the Kennedys had initially arranged it.) With the removal of the prominent Kennedy magnolia, there is now one less branch of the iconic family's legacy on the White House grounds, but federal officials say it's not forgotten. 'The 'Kennedy Magnolia' legacy will live on in the memories of those who walked beneath its blooms and in the care extended to future plantings in this treasured landscape,' said NPS spokesperson Shanti. Sam Brodey can be reached at
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Photos Show Trump's Tree-Cutting Rose Garden Transformation
It appears Donald Trump has cut down another tree at the White House. This time, it was reportedly a saucer magnolia that sits directly outside the Oval Office—part of an extensive renovation of the storied Rose Garden spearheaded by the 47th president. Pictures also show what appears to be paving being installed in the area. Late last month, Trump confirmed that another tree, an Andrew Jackson-planted magnolia, was removed due to the its 'terrible condition,' according to a post from the president on Truth Social. A sapling of the historic tree was later replanted, and dubbed the 'MAGAnolia.' Trump wants to pave over the garden so guests won't step on wet grass—a process that seemed to be underway on Monday, according to photos shared by The Daily Mail's senior White House correspondent Emily Goodin. 'Another tree has been cut down - the one that used to be in Rose Garden outside the Oval. And pavers being put in,' she wrote on X, along with photos of the scene. Andrew Leyden, a freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C., also noted the missing tree on Monday, which has seemingly been replaced by a much-younger and smaller version. 'A saucer Magnolia tree planted as a set of four to commemorate JFK has now been removed and replaced in the Rose Garden,' he wrote. According to the National Parks Service, three of the four magnolias in the garden were planted in remembrance of John F. Kennedy. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast on the status of the tree and renovations. The issue isn't a new one for Trump, who complained to Fox host Laura Ingraham when quizzed about the Rose Garden last month. 'It's supposed to have events; every event you have it's soaking wet,' the president said. 'The women, with the high heels, it's just too much... the grass, it doesn't work. We use it for press conferences, it doesn't work.' It's also not the first time the Trump administration has given the Rose Garden a makeover. In 2020, Melania Trump announced she would oversee a complete overhaul of the outdoor space.
Daily Tribune
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Trump plants 'MAGAnolia' to replace 200-year-old tree
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 Mara-Lago estate in Florida.
Telegraph
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump plants ‘MAGAnolia' to replace 200-year-old tree
Donald Trump planted a new sapling at the White House on Tuesday to replace a nearly 200-year-old tree. The US president dubbed the new tree 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 honour 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. Mr Trump is reported to regard Andrew Jackson as his favourite president. He has repeatedly praised the seventh president in speeches, and placed a portrait of Jackson in the Oval Office during his first term. 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'. Mr 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.
