What to Know
President Donald Trump recently bragged about his wife’s Christmas decorations, but also kind of criticized them at the same time. Meanwhile, the expression on her face as he spoke did little to convince anyone that she cares about the White House’s holiday decor, which, fair enough. You may recall how in an audio recording leaked in 2020, First Lady Melania Trump didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about decorating. “I’m working … my a– off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f— about the Christmas stuff and decorations?” she said in the leaked clip. “But I need to do it, right?”
Now that her husband is back in office for the second time, Melania doesn’t seem to have grown any more fond of decorating for the holidays, or at the very least, it does not seem to be her priority.
Donald praised Melania’s decorations.
Introducing Melania during a speech at the White House on Sunday, December 14, Donald described her as “outstanding” and “a great person.” Meanwhile, she stared blankly into space and looked quite solemn.
He gestured to the Christmas decorations that currently adorn the White House and gave Melania credit for the festive atmosphere. “Melania did all of these decorations, and she’s gotten great reviews,” Donald said, per the Daily Beast.
Then came a backhanded compliment.
For some reason, while praising his wife, Donald decided to talk about how critical people were of her Christmas decorations during previous years. While you could argue that the president could’ve just left it at praising this year’s decor, he somehow turned it into a spiel about how this year’s decor is more popular because of … him?
“The first year, year one, she did the trees, they were white and they were so beautiful. And the fake news hit her hard,” he said, referencing the criticism she received over her unconventional decor choices. “The next year, they were red. Gorgeous red. They hit her hard. The next year, they were another color. They hit her.”
And sure, he acted like he liked the white and red trees, even though people on social media mocked Melania’s decorations. But he also took credit for the fact that the White House has green Christmas trees this year.
“I said, ‘Baby, do me a favor. Do me a favor. Make the trees green. Let ‘em just be green. It’s so beautiful. Let it be great,'” he went on. “Anyway, she has gotten the greatest reviews I’ve ever seen, and nobody has ever gotten reviews like this for the White House.”
He did add that he preferred the white trees though.
It’s possible that Melania had something else on her mind.
While her husband was talking, Melania did not share his enthusiasm, but it’s possible that her mind was elsewhere. She told everyone to enjoy their time at the White House and take pictures with Santa, but not before she addressed the tragic shootings at Brown University and in Australia. “My thoughts and prayers go to the families of people who lost their loved ones around the world,” she said. “…We are celebrating here Christmas, and I’m thinking about them.”
