The Magnolia Jackson tree dubbed "the witness tree" has been removed from the White House grounds on the orders of US President Donald Trump.

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The tree which was located in the South Portico of the White House has seen 39 US presidents come and go and was believed to be the oldest tree on the White House grounds.

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Magnolia Jackson

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The tree was one of the two trees attributed to former US president Andrew Jackson. As the tale goes, Jackson brought a sprout from his home in Nashville, Tennessee and sowed the plant near the South Portico in memory of his wife, who had died just months before he was sworn in as the president in 1829.

Images from of the South Lawn from the 1860s show the magnolia.   

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Why was it removed?

As per a CNN report, an assessment by the United States National Arboretum during Trump's first term, found the tree was in a dire shape. In 2017, Melania Trump even gave approval for portions of the tree to be pruned.

On Truth Social, Trump wrote that the tree has to be removed because it was "in terrible condition."

He said that i was "a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed."

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However, he promised that the historical tree "will be replaced by another, very beautiful tree," and that 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 bad news is that everything must come to an end," he noted.

The tree was removed by the National Park Service on Monday (Apr 7). In recent years, the tree as per The Times was supported by a steel pole and would've fallen without the support.

As per the report, the replacement tree has been grown from seeds from the Magnolia Jackson tree.

This comes as Trump faces backlash over efforts to enhance the White House exteriors, including plans to give Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden a Mar-a-Lago makeover.

(With inputs from agencies)