Twitter Is Roasting Ivanka Trump’s “Happy Holidays” Message & It’s So Ironic
President Donald Trump's goal to bring back "Merry Christmas" is, by all accounts, going well. His Christmas tree lighting ceremony featured huge names like Kathie Lee Gifford and, uh, the Texas Tenors, and a bunch of scrappy people got together and spelled C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S at his totally-not-a-campaign-rally rally in Pensacola, Florida on Dec. 8. But the so-called War On Christmas wages on, and this time, the call is coming from inside the house: on Monday, Dec. 11, Ivanka Trump tweeted, "Happy Holidays," and considering the context, it's pretty hilarious — which is why a bunch of people are tweeting about the irony of Ivanka Trump's tweet.
Late on Monday, Dec. 11, the first daughter tweeted two pictures of her posing in the White House with several other women dressed in festive holiday clothing. The first snapshot was of Trump and two other women in front of a Christmas tree, and the second showed five people, including the first daughter, on a staircase. The photos were accompanied by a short, friendly message: "Happy Holidays!" Followed, of course, by a kissy face emoji.
The women in the photo look pretty pleased with the whole setup, and it would be a totally forgettable tweet in a sea of generic holiday celebrations if it weren't for Trump's president-father's demand that people start saying "Merry Christmas" again.
Which makes Trump's tweet kinda... I don't know. Out of place? A little piece of the rebellious blue-haired punk rearing her antiestablishment head? Or just another example of the milquetoast friend-to-all faux-feminist brand Trump has carefully cultivated over the years?
Trump herself is Jewish; she converted before marrying Kushner, who was raised Modern Orthodox, a conversion which Trump, according to the New Yorker, takes very seriously. So, "Happy Holidays" from her makes sense as general well-wishing for all of the holidays people celebrate around this time of year.
But President Trump, like, really, really wants people to say "Merry Christmas." He has been talking about it since at least 2015, and he brought it up at the Values Voters Summit in October of this year, equating "Happy Holidays" with an attack on Judeo-Christian values.
He told the crowd,
We don’t use the word Christmas because it’s not politically correct. You’ll go to department stores and they say ‘Happy New Year’ instead. [...] We’re saying Merry Christmas again! Our values will endure. Our nation will thrive. Our citizens will flourish, and our freedom will triumph.
He has also maintained that Christmas has been under attack for years due to political correctness, despite the fact that the Obamas — the former First Family — also displayed a nativity scene all eight years they lived in the White House and also celebrated Christmas in a big way. But, sure, Christmas is under threat or whatever.
So lots of Twitter users pointed out the, uh, irony of such a tweet coming from Donald Trump's own daughter.
People are obviously very upset that she has let down her father like this.
I mean, COME ON, IVANKA.
Or is it a deliberate dig at her father?
After all, at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, President Trump said (and later tweeted), "It’s my tremendous honor to finally wish America and the world a very Merry Christmas." And Ivanka was there. She knows how important that phrase is to her father. How could she?
And sure, it's a small gripe, but Festivus is nigh, so I think it's OK if people want to air their grievances a little early.
Plus, Ivanka isn't the only family rebel.
First Lady Melania Trump also tweeted on Nov. 22, "Preparations are underway to celebrate the holidays at the @WhiteHouse!"
Which holidays?? Christmas? Is she celebrating Christmas? I can't tell because she didn't say, "Merry Christmas" and now I'm confused and have accidentally attacked my neighbor's inflatable reindeer.
Tsk, tsk, Melania. What would your husband say? Whatever it is, we can safely assume it's not "Happy Holidays."
