Donald Trump Brings Back His Unexpected ‘Merry Christmas’ Complaint Early This Time

Former President Donald Trump recently rallied in North Carolina and during his speech there he repeated some familiar claims from the past. He reportedly credited himself for the resurgence of the phrase “ Merry Christmas ” among Americans—a point he’s repeatedly made even during his 2016 campaign. Donald and other Republicans have long pushed the narrative that Democrats are trying to dismantle Christmas traditions, replacing “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays.” NBC News reported that many conservatives see this as another example of the “war on Christmas” led by liberals.

Recently, towards the end of his speech, Donald unleashed a list of right-wing grievances. Within seconds, he aimed at critical race theory, transgender youth, and migrants, hitting all the hot-button topics. Just in the middle of this, he said, “And we will proudly say, ‘Merry Christmas’ again,” as reported by HuffPost . Eric Trump also shared his thoughts on Monday, arguing in a similar way to his Christmas message . He falsely claimed, “You had a cognizant effort to get rid of the word ‘Christmas’. I mean, they were calling it a ‘holiday tree’ during the Obama administration.”

He added, “It wasn’t until my father came in and said, ‘Listen, we’re gonna call it a Christmas tree because we celebrate Christmas as a nation.” However, several X (formerly Twitter) criticized this statement as one person said, “The Obamas wished everyone a Merry Christmas, the Biden’s have wished everyone a Merry Christmas, and VP Harris and the 2nd Gentleman have also wished everyone a Merry Christmas! Eric Trump’s bullshit about this is just ridiculous!” Another X user said, “This entire Trump family doesn’t recognize reality from fiction. No one is getting rid of Christmas or Christians.”

In 2021, Trump sat with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, for a Newsmax Christmas special interview. The host reminisced about a time just before the 2016 election when, according to him, people quit saying “Merry Christmas”. He also claimed that Donald deliberately changed that, and the former President readily agreed to it. As reported by the New York Post , during his 2016 campaign and early presidency, Donald and his allies seemingly were part of a pro “Merry Christmas” crusade. Republicans also alleged that stores were replacing “Merry Christmas” with the more neutral “Happy Holidays” on cards and decorations. Donald and Huckabee then claimed that “Merry Christmas” is a cherished part of American culture and should not be excluded.

Donald, in particular, has argued that the joy of Christmas transcends religious lines, claiming that everyone—whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish—loves the holiday season. Ironically, it was revealed in 2017 that Trump had avoided saying “Merry Christmas” in public for years. His social media holiday posts were noticeably more generic until 2011. The first time he was known to use the phrase “Merry Christmas” was on X in 2011. He used it when he promoted his book, suggesting to his followers that it was the ideal Christmas present . Therefore, even if he later became the strongest voice in the “Merry Christmas” campaign, Trump’s holiday greetings seemed a little less festive before his political career began.