'Staged and Fake': Donald Trump Ridiculed for Standing on Artificial Turf During White House Tree Planting Photo Op

Donald Trump was ridiculed over a recent tree planting photo op at the White House, where he stood on a small patch of turf and held a shovel while a man across from him kneeled in the dirt.

Critics on social media wasted no time mocking the president for staging the event but refusing to get himself dirty.

The president joined the White House gardener to allegedly help plant a new tree, replacing the Jackson Magnolia, a 200-year-old tree near the west side of the South Portico of the building.

In a previous Truth Social post, Trump shared that the tree was in "terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less."

The White House shared a series of photos of Trump planting the tree on X, formerly known as Twitter, since no media were allowed at the event.

They wrote: "President Trump plants a new descendant sapling of the historic 'Jackson Magnolia.' The White House remains committed to the stewardship and preservation of its historic grounds. 'We have a beautiful tree now in the White House.' — @POTUS."

Congresswoman Julie Johnson (D-TX) shared the White House's post on X and said, "Man of the people Donald Trump needs fake grass to stand on to do manual labor."

Several other vocal critics also took jabs at the commander-in-chief for staging the ceremony but refusing anyone from seeing him do any actual manual labor.

One X user shared an image of the president standing on some pads on the floor to help him stand up straight while giving a speech and wrote: "Everything about him is staged and fake."

Another critic shared: "Always a fake. Pretender! Fraudster through and through!"

A third person asked: "Would this qualify as being a snowflake for not getting your shoes dirty? ❄️."

The American Society of Consulting Arborists did an assessment of the tree, with an official report concluding that the tree has "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 tree planting ceremony came hours before the president signed executive orders that will impact the environment, one aimed to reinvigorate the coal industry by lifting Biden-era restrictions.

In the order, Trump also officially terminated the Green New Deal, declared a national energy emergency and cut red tape to speed up the Federal permitting process.