Is An Oak Sapling An Appropriate Present For President Trump?

During his official state visit to the US, President Macron handed over an oak sapling to President Trump. The vegetal present was planted in the White House gardens and comes from a WWI battle site where the US Marines furiously fought off a German attack and earned their nickname: Devil Dogs.

Just before the official state dinner at the White House, French President Macron welcomed a couple of hundred French citizens at the embassy. Lucky me, I was one of them. What a privilege to be a famous blogger! I’m just kidding: Many French expats were sent an invitation and I replied just in the nick of time. However, it was definitely a honor to be there.

Macron and his wife arrived on Monday for a 3-day visit that started with a dinner at Mount Vernon (George Washington’s estate in Virginia) and ended on Wednesday with an address to Congress. When I read on Monday that France’s present to President Trump was an oak sapling, I couldn’t help but wonder if Trump would have preferred a gold and crystal chandelier from the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles? The extravagant light fixture would certainly have its place in Trump‘s New York penthouse…

No, I didn’t get the opportunity to ask President Macron about his choice, but yes, I fully understood the symbolism behind Macron’s sapling gift.

What’s so special about this oak sapling?

In the final months of WWI, after the Russian surrender on the Eastern Front, the German army moved troops to the Western Front and launched a series of furious attacks in France. They overran the French army very quickly and stopped only 60 miles away from Paris.

According to historian Frank Viltard, it was the first time that the French military asked the American Expeditionary Forces for support. The battle took place in the woods of Belleau, far away from the splendors of Versailles, and you guessed right, the sapling was taken directly from the site.

Today, the Belleau woods is a lovely place according to Mojotraveller.com, but also a famous “Pilgrimage Site for US Marine Corps.” The legend says that the Marines repelled the offensive with such ferocity that the Germans called them “Teufelshunde” or Devil Dogs, today a well-known nickname. However, the origin of the “Devil Dogs” is more likely to have come from a nearby fountain with a spout in the shape of a bull mastiff’s head, where US troops gathered after the battle.

Is an oak sapling an appropriate present for President Trump?

In an interview with Fox News last week, Macron said he considers the tree a symbol of lasting friendship.

Was Macron playing again to the US president’s admiration of the armed forces? Probably. Last July, Trump was impressed by the military parade he witnessed in Paris for Bastille Day, and according to several media reports, plans are underway to hold one on Veterans Day in Washington, D.C.

I’m not sure if the American president immediately embraced the symbolism, but I’m confident that his Chief of Staff, retired US Marine General Kelly, as well as his wife, Melania, did.

According to CNN, Mrs. Trump trusted herself to organize the state dinner on Tuesday without the help of event planners.

The present from the United States to France was a framed section of upholstery from one of the chairs in the White House Blue Room. These chairs were commissioned by President James Monroe, who served as a diplomat in France and liked French decor a lot. Years later, when First Lady Jackie Kennedy found them in the White House collections, she worked with a French designer to recreate the fabric. Ultimately, they found their place back in the Blue Room.

I have no doubt that Macron will grasp its meaning. A thoughtful present, although less symbolic than an oak.