Model-turned-first lady Melania Trump is busy preparing for Christmas at the White House,
a job traditionally saved for the president's spouse, with some exceptions. Michelle Obama
invited her daughters and the family's doggies to help out in 2014, for example, while Melania
chose to go solo in 2020.
Following tradition, Melania emerged from the North Portico of the White House on November
23rd, 2020 to welcome the 18-and-a-half-foot Fraser fir from Dan and Bryan Trees in West
Virginia. The tree arrived in a festive green horse-drawn carriage dressed with simple wreaths,
delivered as a military band played "O Tannenbaum" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." The first
lady inspected the tree and posed for the media before returning into the White House.
During her quick appearance, Melania presented a big smile and a fresh look. Since she caught
Donald Trump's eye in 1998 and became a public figure, Melania has usually sported brunette
locks that fall just below her shoulders. However, she seemed to be testing the waters
in 2020 with lighter hair before debuting a completely blonde look for the arrival of
the White House Christmas tree.
Melania completed her new look by dressing in a long houndstooth coat with black knee-high
boots and long black gloves. Her wide smile seemingly showed her excitement for the event,
but was it all just for show? Many critics online were quick to point out that Melania
reportedly hates Christmas — or at least having to decorate for it.
Is Melania really a closet Grinch? In October 2020, CNN's Anderson Cooper played a leaked
2018 recording of a conversation between Melania and her former aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.
"I say that I’m working on Christmas planning for the Christmas. And they said, 'Oh, what
about the children that they were separated?' Give me a f--king break."
Melania also complained to Wolkoff about the stress of decorating for the holidays, and
the pressure she felt to do it.
"I'm working like a — my ass off at —" "I know." "—on Christmas stuff that you know,
who give a f--k about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I need to do it, right?"
The 2018 White House Christmas decorations Melania was discussing with Wolkoff were a
bit more traditional than the 2017 aesthetic, which was described by Tonight Show writer
Jess Dweck on Twitter as resembling, quote, "the rotting void inside of us." IndieWire
film critic David Ehrlich, meanwhile, compared the stark look to an environment found in
the PlayStation survival horror series Silent Hill. So maybe Melania's stress stemmed from
trying to tone down her somewhat severe aesthetic sensibilities, which were widely mocked the
year before.
The fact that the leaked recordings of Melania dissing her Christmas duties appeared so close
to her accepting the 2020 White House Christmas tree also fired up a lot of folks on Twitter.
One user posted,
"Melania walking out and pretending to like Christmas at this point is actually pretty
funny. She lives for petty."
While another joked,
"The war on Christmas is coming from inside the house."
Whether Melania likes Christmas or not, her holiday spirit may be dampened this year considering
her husband was not re-elected to a second term in office, with reports swirling that
she's been begging him to concede.
While the Trump campaign was positive they would see Melania accept extremely large,
horse-delivered Christmas trees for the next four years, their plan did not come into fruition
when Joe Biden was named the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Rumors surfaced
that Donald Trump would refuse to leave the White House as his campaign put up a legal
fight and claimed election fraud, all while Trump refused to follow the American tradition
of conceding his loss.
However, CNN reported that behind the scenes, both Melania and son-in-law and senior adviser
Jared Kushner urged the 45th president of the United States to accept the defeat. Furthermore,
a source reported that Melania allegedly can't wait to return to her normal life in New York.
An insider told Naughty But Nice podcast host Rob Shuter,
"For the past four years, Melania has missed her life in New York. She loves the city and
the lifestyle she used to have and cannot wait to get it back at Trump Tower. She basically
put her life on hold to be with her husband in D.C. She never wanted any of this."
If this is true, Melania should be happy to return to her old life, and maybe even her
old holiday decor, starting in 2021.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about the
latest hot topics are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so
you don't miss a single one.