Trump helps plant replacement for a historic White House tree that was removed over safety concerns

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Trump helps plant replacement for a historic White House tree that was removed over safety concerns

2025-04-09 02:35 Last Updated At：02:42

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday helped shovel dirt onto the replacement for a historic White House tree that had to be removed because of safety concerns around its deteriorating condition.

“We have a beautiful tree now at the White House,” Trump said.

The White House did not allow news media coverage of the tree planting, but afterward shared a brief video clip on social media. Dale Haney, the longtime grounds superintendent, also participated.

“Dale's been here 53 years. He's fantastic,” Trump said.

The Republican president had announced March 30 on his social media platform that the nearly 200-year-old tree, known as the Jackson Magnolia, was in “terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed.”

The southern magnolia had stood for decades near the west side of the South Portico of the White House. It's where presidents and prime ministers often are welcomed on their visits, as well as where the president himself exits to board the Marine One helicopter or returns after a trip.

According to the National Park Service website, “folklore tells us” that President Andrew Jackson brought the tree’s seeds from his home near Nashville, Tennessee. The seeds apparently were planted in honor of his wife Rachel, who died shortly before he took office in 1829.

A 12-year-old sapling that is a direct descendant of the Jackson Magnolia was planted in its place on Tuesday, the White House said. The National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds, said the sapling was grown at its offsite greenhouse specifically to replace the Jackson Magnolia.

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, which 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," the White House said.

Hart's report also recommended that the tree be removed as soon as possible “to eliminate the risk of personal injury and/or property damage,” according to the White House.

The park service is keeping a sample of the downed tree for historical and archival purposes and transferring any remaining wood to the Executive Residence. Trump had said the wood “may be used for other high and noble purposes!!!!”

The tree was significantly pruned in 2017 during Trump’s first term. It also had suffered damage in 1994 when a small Cessna plane crashed onto the South Lawn and skidded into the White House.

Wall Street rallies and recovers all of Monday's slide as the dollar and US bond market steady

2025-04-23 00:14 Last Updated At：00:21

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rallying as companies report fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 climbed 2.6% Tuesday and recovered all of its drop from Monday, which came on worries about President Donald Trump’s trade war and his attacks on the head of the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,021 points, or 2.7%. and the Nasdaq composite climbed 3%. Equifax, PulteGroup and 3M helped lead the way following better-than-expected profit reports. The value of the U.S. dollar also stabilized after sliding against the euro and other competitors, while Treasury yields held steadier in the bond market.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rallying Tuesday after companies reported fatter profits than expected, and other U.S. investments are also steadying a day after falling sharply on worries about President Donald Trump’s trade war and his attacks on the head of the Federal Reserve.

The S&P 500 was 2% higher in morning trading and on track to recover most of Monday’s drop. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 765 points, or 2%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.2% higher.

The value of the U.S. dollar also stabilized after sliding against the euro and other competitors, while Treasury yields held steadier. Sharp, unusual moves in those markets have recently raised worries that Trump’s policies are making investors more skeptical that U.S. investments still deserve their reputations as the world’s safest.

The only prediction many Wall Street strategists are willing to make is that financial markets will continue to jerk up and down as hopes rise and fall that Trump may negotiate deals with other countries to lower his tariffs. Otherwise, many investors expect the economy to fall into a recession.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slashed its forecast for global economic growth this year to 2.8%, down from 3.3%. But Vice President JD Vance also said he made progress with India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, on trade talks Monday.

Some signs of nervousness remain in financial markets. Gold continued to rise, for example, as it holds onto its reputation as a safer investment when fear is dominating markets.

A suite of better-than-expected profit reports from big U.S. companies, meanwhile, drove U.S. stocks higher.

Equifax jumped 11.8% after reporting better profit for the first three months of 2025 than analysts expected. It also said it would send more cash to its shareholders by increasing its dividend and buying up to $3 billion of its stock over the next four years.

3M climbed 7.6% after the maker of Scotch tape and Command strips said it made more in profit from each $1 of revenue during the start of the year than it expected. The company also stood by its forecast for profit for the full year, though it said tariffs may drag down its earnings per share by up to 40 cents per share.

Homebuilder PulteGroup rose 6.2% after it likewise delivered a stronger profit for the start of 2025 than analysts expected.

It’s been benefiting from the sharp moves in the bond market. The unusual drops for Treasury yields recently are translating into lower rates for mortgages for potential customers. The drops for stock prices that are happening at the same time, though, are likely also scaring potential buyers.

CEO Ryan Marshall said buyers “remain caught between a strong desire for homeownership and the affordability challenges of high selling prices and monthly payments that are stretched.”

Tesla rose 4.1% ahead of its earnings report, which is scheduled to arrive after trading ends for the day. That trimmed its loss for the year so far below 42%.

Elon Musk’s electric car company has already reported its first-quarter car sales dropped by 13% from the year before. It's been hurt by vandalism, widespread protests and calls for a consumer boycott amid a backlash to Musk’s high-profile role in the White House overseeing a cost-cutting purge of U.S. government agencies.

Stocks also showed how Trump’s tariffs could create winners and losers in a remade global economy.

First Solar jumped 13.5% after the U.S. Department of Commerce finalized harsher-than-expected solar tariffs on some southeast Asian communities.

Defense contractors had some of the market's sharpest losses after RTX said U.S. tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, along with other products, could mean an $850 million hit to its profit this year. RTX, which builds airplane engines and military equipment, fell 8.4% even though it reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter.

Kimberly-Clark lost 2.2% even though the maker of Huggies and Kleenex likewise reported a better-than-expected profit.

CEO Mike Hsu said that “the current environment will now mean greater costs across our global supply chain” versus what it expected at the start of the year, and the company lowered its forecast for an underlying measure of profit this year.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.39% from 4.42% late Monday.

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.