Side-by-Side: Trump Shows How It’s Done with Golden Shovel — Kamala and Joe Make It Look Like Rocket Science

By: Natalie Dagenhardt, White House Correspondent

April 10, 2025

Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump wielded a golden shovel with ease on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, planting a 12-year-old sapling to replace the historic Jackson Magnolia at the White House, while past footage of Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, and Doug Emhoff struggling with the same task has conservatives on X howling with laughter. The side-by-side comparison, amplified by a viral video from @bennyjohnson, highlights what Trump supporters see as a stark contrast in competence—and it’s not flattering for the Democrats.

Trump’s planting of the new magnolia, a direct descendant of the nearly 200-year-old tree originally planted by President Andrew Jackson in 1829, was a smooth affair. “We have a beautiful tree now at the White House,” Trump said in a brief video shared on X (@WhiteHouse), praising longtime grounds superintendent Dale Haney: “Dale’s been here 53 years. He’s fantastic.” The National Park Service, which grew the sapling in an offsite greenhouse, removed the original tree after a March 2025 assessment by arborist Peter Hart deemed it a “dangerous safety hazard” due to structural failure, per a PBS News report on April 8. Trump had announced the removal on March 30, noting the wood might be used for “high and noble purposes.”

Contrast that with footage of Joe and Jill Biden’s 2021 Arbor Day tree planting, where they fumbled with shovels, barely scooping dirt, as seen in an AP News clip from March 18, 2024.

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff’s attempt on October 7, 2024, to plant a pomegranate tree at the Vice President’s residence was even worse—Harris awkwardly jabbed at the ground while Emhoff struggled to hold the tree, per a Daily Mail report on October 8, 2024. @bennyjohnson’s compilation video, viewed over 600,000 times, drew savage reactions on X. “Kamala and Doug look like they’ve never seen a shovel before,” wrote @MAGAForce2024, while @PatriotPulse quipped, “Trump makes it look easy—Dems make it look like rocket science.”

I'm old enough to remember when Kamala showed the world she didn't even know how to hold a shovel. pic.twitter.com/SDxFakuZqg

— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) April 8, 2025

Conservatives see the contrast as symbolic of broader leadership failures. “This is why we elected Trump—he gets things done while Dems can’t even plant a tree,” posted @America1stMAGA. The Jackson Magnolia’s replacement, a nod to history and safety, underscores Trump’s knack for optics, while the Democrats’ shovel struggles have become a meme-worthy reminder of their perceived incompetence. For Trump supporters, it’s another win in the battle of imagery—and they’re loving every dig.

Natalie Dagenhardt

Natalie Dagenhardt is an American conservative writer who writes for  Right Journalism! Natalie has described herself as a polemicist who likes to “stir up the pot,” and does not “pretend to be impartial or balanced, as broadcasters do,” drawing criticism from the left, and sometimes from the right. As a passionate journalist, she works relentlessly to uncover the corruption happening in Washington. She is a “constitutional conservative”.

www.rightjournalism.com/