Revealed: Donald Trump will host up to two Christmas parties a DAY inside the White House between now and Christmas with no mention of masks on the invites (and Republicans are falling out about being snubbed!)
- The Trumps will hold up to two holiday events a day between now and Christmas
- That includes tours of White House Christmas decorations, cocktail receptions and black tie balls
- President Trump and Melania Trump usually make an appearance
- One person invited to a reception said there was no mention of a face mask
- White House said COVID related precautions would be taken
- Medical experts asking for scaled-back holiday events to stop the spread
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will hold up to two holiday events a day between now and Christmas with nary a mention of masks on the invites.
The celebrations come as coronavirus cases have spiked throughout the country, as Washington D.C. has cracked down on the size of gatherings, and medical experts have asked people to scale back their holiday plans to avoid any super spreader events.
But the Trumps are going all out for their last holiday season in the White House, planning a full spray of holiday parties celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and other religious holidays.
One person invited to a reception told DailyMail.com the invitation made no mention of face masks or any COVID-related precautions.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will hold up to two holiday events a day between now and Christmas
The holiday events range from tours of the White House holiday decorations – Melania Trump unveiled her ‘America the Beautiful’ theme on Monday – to cocktail receptions to black tie balls.
Invitations go out a variety of people, including the president’s supporters, White House staff and their families, donors, lawmakers, and senior staffers on Capitol Hill.
But there also have been conversations in the White House on who not to invite, including a group of Republicans who have angered the president this year – Senators Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and Ben Sasse along with Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, Politico’s Playbook reported.
The holiday mood may prevail and those on the naughty list could still garner an invitation but the conversations show how touchy the mood is in the White House right now as the clock ticks down on the Trump’s time there.
The annual Congressional Ball, a black-tie event held on December 10, is the biggest party of the White House season.
The Republican Party pays for the events, The Washington Post reported, which can run up to millions of dollars.
The White House packed calendar comes as work places around the nation have canceled holiday gatherings out of precaution and families are spending holidays apart due to the coronavirus.
The White House parties this year will be smaller than they were in the past and there will be COVID precautions in place, a spokesperson for the first lady said.
‘The People’s House will celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah while providing the safest environment possible. This includes smaller guest lists, masks will be required and available, social distancing encouraged while on the White House grounds, and hand sanitizer stations throughout the State Floor,’ Melania’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham said.
She noted the food will be individually plated and all service staff will wear masks and gloves.
‘Attending the parties will be a very personal choice. It is a longstanding tradition for people to visit and enjoy the cheer and iconic decor of the annual White House Christmas celebrations,’ Grisham said.
Hundreds of people usually attend the receptions – many traveling from out of town – and the first couple typically puts in an appearance.
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Americans to be careful that the holiday season doesn’t turn into super spreader events for the coronavirus
But Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Sunday that holiday gatherings should be cut back in order to avoid any super spreader events.
‘We are going to have to make decisions as a nation, state, city and family that we are in a very difficult time, and we’re going to have to do the kinds of restrictions of things we would have liked to have done, particularly in this holiday season, because we’re entering into what’s really a precarious situation,’ he said Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’
The United States has seen more than 13.3 million coronavirus infections and more than 267,000 deaths.
Washington D.C. has restricted gatherings to 25 people but the White House is on federal property so that rule does not apply to it.
‘What we expect, unfortunately, as we go for the next couple of weeks into December, is that we might see a surge superimposed on the surge we are already in,’ Fauci said. ‘I don’t want to frighten people, except to say it is not too late to do something about this.’
The White House has been linked to two super spreader events: the September 26 Rose Garden announcement of Judge Amy Comey Barrett as Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and an election night event in the East Room.
When Melania Trump unveiled her final Christmas decorations at the White House on Monday, she revealed a toned-down decor.
Her ‘America the Beautiful’ theme featured a room dedicated to front line workers, ornaments made by children across the country, and a stocking for Barron.
‘During this special time of the year, I am delighted to share ‘America the Beautiful’ and pay tribute to the majesty of our great Nation. Together, we celebrate this land we are all proud to call home,’ the first lady wrote on Twitter, where she previewed the classic red, gold and white decorations that fill the state rooms of the White House.
Final time: Melania Trump unveiled her last set of Christmas decorations Monday, offering a pared-back approach to the holiday season
The mother-of-one donned a $1,060 festive gold lamé shirt from Dries Van Noten, a black pencil skirt and heels to walk among the lavishly adorned trees and showed off the crafts made by children from all 50 states
This year’s gingerbread house is the White House, made out of 275 pounds of gingerbread
Melania Trump included her newly renovated Rose Garden as part of the White House Gingerbread house
Decorations in the red room are dedicated to first responders, front line workers and essential employees like grocery store workers
This year the East Colonnade has urns containing plants from across the United States
The Official White House Christmas Tree sits in the Blue Room as the focus of the holiday decorations – it has bright yellow ribbons in contrast with the red ribbons on the rest of the trees
The China room is decorated as a kitchen; the fireplace has stockings for the president, first lady and for Barron
A close up of the stockings for POTUS, FLOTUS and Barron
Inside the Red Room: This is the view visitors will get from the door of the Red Room, beside Aaron Shikler’s portrait of John F. Kennedy – Kennedy is on the official White House ornament
CHRISTMAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE
December 3 – The 2020 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony (online)
December 9 – The White House Hanukkah reception
December 10 – The congressional Christmas party
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 – Christmas Day
Melania Trump personally selected every detail of the holiday season, the East Wing said.
There are acknowledgements of the pandemic that has infected more than 13 million Americans and killed more than 267,000.
The red room is dedicated to first responders, frontline workers and essential personnel like grocery store employees. The village scene on the fireplace mantel includes a hospital and grocery store.
The library focuses on notable women throughout history with ornaments featuring famous American women like the artist Georgia O’Keefe. The décor includes yellow roses, which was the symbol of the suffragettes. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
The china room, which features examples of the china settings of every administration, is decorated like a kitchen. On the fire place are stockings for the president, first lady and Barron.
The official White House Christmas Tree – an 18 foot fraser fir that sits in the Blue Room – features 160 ornaments made from children across the country, who featured an item from their home state on their contribution. The ornament also features their name, age and their home state.
It is decorated with bright yellow bows to contrast the red bows that feature on the trees lining the main hallway through the state rooms.
In the main hallway are several dozen trees decorated in red ornaments with red and red plaid bows. Under the branches are gifts with labels such as ‘faith,’ ‘love,’ and ‘peace’ as a reminder that gifts come in many forms, according to the East Wing.
Gone are any controversial pieces like the red cranberry Christmas trees from two years ago that prompted many a social media meme. Instead, this year the White House is filled with foliage from across the country, yellow and white roses (roses are the national flower), and ornaments with traditional American symbols like the flag and the eagle.
The traditional gingerbread house – consisting of 275 pounds of gingerbread – is in the shape of the White House with, for the first time, the East and West Wings featured. Included in that is Melania Trump’s revamped Rose Garden, complete with tiny flowers with the stems made out of pasta.
The East Room focuses on transportation – above an ornament with the logo of the Space Force, which was started by President Trump
The main hallway that leads through the state rooms on the ground floor of the White House
The Marine Band plays at the White House holiday receptions
The green room has a wildlife theme
The Green Room featured special window decorations made of layers of glass to show off American wildlife
Presents are labeled with various values such as ‘love’ and ‘peace’
The decorations in the library are dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote
Golden glow: The State Dining Room features two trees decorated in yellow
White House Decorations
106 Christmas Wreaths
62 Christmas trees
1,200 feet of garland
3,200 strands of lights
17,000 bows
150 varieties of foliage and floral
160 children made ornaments for the official Christmas Tree
Gingerbread White House made of 275 pounds of gingerbread, 110 pounds of pastillage dough, 30 pounds gum paste, 25 pound of chocolate, and 25 pounds of royal icing
There are other traditional touches such as the White House crèche, now in its 53rd year on display and the Christmas tree dedicated to Gold Star families. That tree is draped in blue, the color of perseverance and justice, and the families who decorated it placed the name of their fallen family member on ribbon that will adorn the tree.
The East Room is dedicated to transportation with trains, planes and automobiles. Included in that is an ornament in the shape of Air Force One and a train labelled ‘White House Express’ that runs on a table in the center of the room. The décor celebrates innovation in technology from the first Transcontinental Railroad to the Apollo 11 lunar landing, including the logo of the Space Force, which was started by President Trump.
The Green Room is dedicated to wildlife and features a special glass panel hanging in each of the two windows – one featuring a deer and one a duck – that the light can shine through. The panels are made of multilayers of glass, giving them a stained glass effect.
The State Dining Room State features trees with decorated with yellow and white roses flowers – roses are the national flower – with custom made gold eagle tree toppers.
The East Colonnade, the site of last year’s infamous red trees, is much more toned back this year. Instead of trees, foliage from various states fill urns that line the walk way.
Volunteers were in the White House this past weekend to get the executive mansion ready for the holiday season.
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