Metaphor for America’s Relationship With France Has Died

President Trump’s standing with America’s allies has been strained since he took office.

Particularly tumultuous has been his relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron, which has been tested over issues like Trump’s decision to remove the United States from the Paris climate accord, Trump’s tariff obsession, Trump’s rampant nationalism and more. “The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%,” Trump tweeted after a tense meeting last November.

The animosity doesn’t mean the two world leaders haven’t shared some good times. “Relationship with France stronger than ever,” the president tweeted after dining at the Eiffel Tower in 2017. During his state visit to Washington, D.C., last April, Macron gifted Trump an oak tree from France. They planted it together in the White House lawn. “100 years ago, American soldiers fought in France, in Belleau to defend our freedom,” Macron tweeted. “This oak tree (my gift to @realDonaldTrump) will be a reminder at the White House of these ties that bind us.”

100 years ago, American soldiers fought in France, in Belleau to defend our freedom. This oak tree (my gift to @realDonaldTrump) will be a reminder at the White House of these ties that bind us. pic.twitter.com/AUdVncaKRN

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 24, 2018

The tree is now dead, according to Agence France-Presse.