This is What’s Trending Today…
A days-long mystery at the White House has been solved.
It involved the disappearance of a small tree. French President Emmanuel Macron and American President Donald Trump planted it last week on the grounds of the White House.
Macron presented Trump with the tree as a gift during his state visit to the United States.
The sapling carries special meaning: it came from an oak tree that grew on a World War I battle site. About 2,000 American soldiers died in the June 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood, fighting a German offensive.
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
Last Monday, Members of the media took videos and photos as the two leaders planted the sapling.
By the end of last week, though, the tree was nowhere to be found. People questioned why Trump or White House officials would have dug up the tree.
The tree mystery quickly became a trending discussion on social media.
Mystery of the missing tree. The world watched as Trump and Macron planted a sapling from a WWI battlefield on the White House lawn. Now it’s gone... https://t.co/43157pFLXB pic.twitter.com/ENSwUCVAeC
— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 30, 2018
After a weekend of wondering, people got their answer Monday. The missing tree was put in quarantine, like other plants or animals brought into U.S. territory.
Quarantine is a period in which something that has arrived from another country or place is kept away from others to prevent a possible spread of disease.
An official in Macron’s office said Monday that Trump wanted to hold a symbolic planting ceremony with Macron. Both leaders knew that the tree would later go into quarantine.
A French official said the tree “has returned to quarantine and will soon be replanted” in the White House garden.
The official added, “Don’t worry, the tree is doing very well.”
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Ashley Thompson.
The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
Words in This Story
sapling - n. a young tree
symbolic - adj. expressing or representing an idea or quality without using words
garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown
