By New York Post (Politics) | Created at 2025-03-31 18:31:09 | Updated at 2025-04-02 08:09:49
1 day ago
A famous southern magnolia tree thought to have been planted by President Andrew Jackson at the White House nearly 200 years ago is set to be felled next week, President Trump announced Sunday.
Trump, 78, said that the iconic tree believed to have been planted by one of his favorite presidents “is in terrible condition” and poses a safety hazard to occupants of the executive mansion.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday.
“This process will take place next week, and will be replaced by another, very beautiful tree. The Historic wood from the tree will be preserved by the White House Staff, and may be used for other high and noble purposes!!!”
The country’s 7th president is believed to have planted at least two magnolia trees near the White House South Portico, thought to have come from Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, in Tennessee.
Seeds of the two trees were supposedly planted on the South Lawn to pay tribute to Jackson’s late wife, Rachel, who died just before his ascent to the White House, according to folklore.
There is controversy about the veracity of Jackson’s ties to the magnolias, given that images of the trees near the South Portico date back to the 1860s. Jackson served as president from 1829 to 1837.
The base of the two trees endured significant damage in 1994, when a small Cessna plane piloted by Frank Eugene Corder crashed onto the South Lawn as it skidded towards the White House.
During Trump’s first administration, the tree also underwent pruning and branch removal in December 2017.
The National Park Service (NPS) has designated the trees as Witness Trees that were present for “significant historic and cultural events.”
Jackson was the first Democrat to serve as president, but Trump has occasionally expressed admiration for the populist 7th president.
“I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later, you wouldn’t have had the Civil War,” Trump told the Washington Examiner back in 2017. “He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War, he said ‘There’s no reason for this.’”
Trump adorned the Oval Office with an image of Jackson during his first term and even claimed to have been reading a biography on Old Hickory.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has made a variety of modifications to the executive mansion and says that he’s very keen on preserving its cherished history as much as possible.
“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,” Trump added on Truth Social.
