Twitter Can't Get Over Melania Trump's Weird Red Christmas Trees At The White House
Thanksgiving is officially over, and in the nation's capital, the first family is already getting their holiday decorating underway. While some might settle for a strand of lights, the White House is famous for going all-out on its décor. But on social media, tweets about Melania Trump's red Christmas trees are getting her roasted, and it's not even December yet.
"This year's theme, 'American Treasures,' honors the unique heritage of America," read a White House statement unveiling the decorations on Nov. 26. "Designed by first lady Melania Trump, the White House shines with the spirit of patriotism. This home, held in trust for all Americans, displays the many splendors found across our great Nation."
In a video of the 2018 Christmas decorations posted by the White House on Nov. 26, the first lady can be seen waltzing through the various rooms of the presidential home overlooking her domain. One scene in particular stands out: A black-clad Melania walking down a hallway flanked by rows of crimson trees shaped into precise cones.
It was a theme that Melania Trump said "honors the heart and spirit of the American people," per the White House statement. The first lady's decor also included four mantelpieces cut to mirror the skylines of San Francisco, New York, St. Louis, and Chicago, dozens of topiary trees, scores of custom ornaments, the official gingerbread house, and decorations that give a nod to her signature "Be Best" campaign, aimed at promoting childhood wellbeing. The Gold Star Family tree in the East Wing is accompanied by tablets where visitors can write messages to their loves ones who are away on duty.
But it was the red trees that threw even seasoned White House reporters for a loop.
To be fair, the 2017 decorations were also a sight to see, and that theme sparked it own criticisms and jokes as well. The stark white and silver theme made the White House look like something straight out of the Chronicles of Narnia; taken side by side, some users picked up on the parallel and ran with it. Elite Daily reached out to the office of the first lady for any comment or response, but did not immediately hear back.
Multiple users edited the photos to make the trees look like the iconic characters from The Handmaid's Tale.
Other users drew a parallel to the red hallway as looking like a reference to The Shining.
Still other references floated around on the Twitterverse, with one user citing the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones.
One user even made a dig at another Melania Trump faux-pas earlier this year, when the first lady wore a Zara jacket that read, "I really don't care, do u?" to visit detained migrant children at the height of the furor about her husband's policy of separating migrant families. In a statement at the time, her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said that there was "no hidden message" to the jacket.
Equally noteworthy are the bright red gloves she wore while adorning the tree.
For all the buzz about the red trees, there is a more traditional note to all this boldfaced decorating. In the Blue Room, per the statement, the official White House Christmas tree has been adorned with over 500 feet of blue velvet ribbon (and yes, this tree is actually green). The Trumps received the official 18-foot-tall tree in a ceremony on Nov. 19.
Per the official statement, more than 30,000 visitors will tour the White House for Christmas this season — so they can decide for themselves whether they think the red trees are a hit or a miss. Maybe they should avoid the elevators though. Just in case.
