It has survived 39 presidencies and being clipped by a light aircraft, but the ravages of time have proved too much for the massive magnolia tree which was planted at the White House in 1835.

The rotting tree has become a safety risk and, taking the advice of the National Arboretum, First Lady Melania Trump has accepted that much of the tree will have to go.

The tree, which was planted by Andrew Jackson, has been a backdrop for some of the most momentous events in US presidential history.

Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill held talks in the shade of the tree's massive branches. Herbert Hoover presided over cabinet meetings there and Richard Nixon strode past it as he made his way to a helicopter after he left the White House in disgrace.