“Yesterday’s visit by President-Elect Trump to the City of Mobile was an incredible opportunity to showcase our City and offer a great event to those attending.

In preparing for this event, I worked closely with the advance team. In an effort to make sure every detail was covered and the expectations of the President-Elect’s team were exceeded, I became overzealous.

I now know there are citizens who are upset and offended that a tree from a City park was used as part of the decorations for the event. I accept full responsibility for having this done.

For this, I sincerely apologize. Going forward, I will be more sensitive to the spectrum of concerns regarding trees.”