Christmas is Christian, White House tells Washington Post
By Greg Richter
The Trump White House is defending its religious-focused Christmas greetings following criticism from The Washington Post, which took the administration to task for not sticking with secular themes.
“While the Washington Post would prefer we stick to ‘Happy Holidays,’ we’re saying Merry Christmas again,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News. “And Christmas is a Christian holiday for millions of Christians celebrating the birth of their Savior, whether the Washington Post likes it or not.”
In a Friday article, the Post noted:
Top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration posted messages from their government accounts hailing Christmas in explicitly sectarian terms, such as a day to celebrate the birth of “our Savior Jesus Christ.”
The Department of Homeland Security posted three messages on social media Thursday and Friday, twice declaring, “Christ is Born!” and once stating, “We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior.” One DHS video posted on X displayed religious images, including Jesus, a manger and crosses.
The messages sharply diverged from the more secular, Santa Claus-and-reindeer style of Christmas messages that have been the norm for government agencies for years. The posts provided the latest example of the administration’s efforts to promote the cultural views and language of Trump’s evangelical Christian base.
The Post shared examples of Christmas messages focusing on the holiday as a celebration of the birth of Jesus from the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. The State Department was a notable exception with its secular message to “all Americans,” the Post noted.
The religious messages are “one more example of the Christian Nationalist rhetoric the Trump administration has disseminated since Day One in office,” the Post quoted Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “Our Constitution’s promise of church-state separation has allowed religious diversity — including different denominations of Christianity — to flourish in America.
“People of all religions and none should not have to sift through proselytizing messages to access government information,” Laser continued. “It’s divisive and un-American.”
Trump campaigned for his first term on a return to saying “Merry Christmas.” It was part of an outreach to evangelical voters, who were vital to his 2016 victory.
The Post’s story drew heavy response online, perhaps best summed up by Texas state Rep. Daniel Elders, who posted:
