The phrase “Merry Christmas” was trending on Monday, February 3 after Eric Trump claimed that people were finally saying it again.
President Donald Trump’s son announced victory over the supposed “war on Christmas” ― something he does every now and then at random times of year ― at a Trump campaign press conference in Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of the Republican caucuses.
While praising his father in a speech, the younger Trump pivoted to Christmas.
“We’re saying Merry Christmas again,” he said, to applause. “We weren’t saying that.”
The Trumps often use this talking point, which has little basis. No one is preventing people from saying “Merry Christmas,” but businesses, including some of Trump’s own, have been known to adopt the more inclusive phrase “Happy holidays” in their marketing.
Last year, Eric Trump whipped out the “we’re saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again” rhetoric before Halloween. Later in 2019, his father claimed that people wanted to stop saying “Thanksgiving” — an assertion even Trump allies on Fox News questioned.
With the holidays about 10 months away, Twitter users were shocked to discover we were saying “Merry Christmas” again already: