US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have been at odds with each other for years now, and yet, it has been reported that a photo of the former president adorns one of the Christmas trees in the White House this year.
According to Newsweek, a photo of former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump has been put up on one of the Christmas trees in the State Dining Room of the White House. The gold-framed photo, from 2018, shows the former president and his wife receiving their first official White House Christmas tree, but many are wondering what it is doing in the White House this year, given the strained relationship between President Biden and his predecessor.
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Reportedly, it was First Lady Jill Biden’s idea to put the photo up, in accordance with her “Gifts from the Heart” theme for this year’s holiday decorations: each room in the White House has been decorated to capture the various “gifts” people get during the year.
The State Dining Room, where the Trump photo has been put up on a Christmas tree, has been decorated according to the theme of “gifts from the family” that looks to honour the families people are born into, choose, or create. In accordance with the same, the room bears photographs or portraits of several first families of the US. “Each family who made this house a home reminds us all of the enduring love and lasting bonds of family,” said the White House in a statement.
Apart from honouring the first families which preceded them, the Bidens have also put up Christmas decorations to pay homage to the efforts of frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been honoured using a gingerbread display that expresses “gratitude and admiration” for their dedication to the nation.
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Similar measures have been taken to salute the efforts of the armed forces, and a Gold Star tree has been erected in commemoration of those who gave their lives for their country and their families who “carry on their legacies.”
Other rooms, meanwhile, have been decorated according to various themes, such as the gift of service, learning, visual arts, friendship, gratitude, nature, peace and unity, the performing arts, faith, and community.
