Ivanka Trump’s ‘Happy Holidays’ Tweet Backfires After President’s ‘Bring Christmas Back’ Message

On the eve of Hanukkah, first daughter Ivanka Trump decided to wish her followers “Happy Holidays!” on Twitter. Soon after, she started getting backlash from the social media users for not championing her father’s mission of bringing back Christmas – an agenda he reiterated multiple times after he took office.

Ivanka, who was born a Christian, but converted into Judaism in the 2009 when she married her Jewish husband Jared Kushner, posted a couple of photos on Twitter where she posed with guests in front of a Christmas tree and on a long staircase. While the pictures themselves were not criticized by Twitterati, the caption “Happy Holidays!” became the hot topic of mockery in the comments section. Here are a few outraged responses to her tweet:

During the presidential election campaign in September 2016, President Donald Trump announced one of his goals – if he were to be elected POTUS – would be to reinstate the freedom to fearlessly say “Merry Christmas” than the more religion-neutral “Happy Holidays.”

"We are stopping cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values," Trump said, Fox News reported. "You know, we're getting near that beautiful Christmas season that people don't talk about anymore. They don't use the word 'Christmas' because it's not politically correct. You go to department stores, and they'll say, 'Happy New Year' and they'll say other things. And it will be red, they'll have it painted, but they don't say it. Well, guess what? We're saying 'Merry Christmas' again."

He re-emphasized his message a number of times later, the most recent being during a speech in the Salt Lake City, Utah, where the president had gone to formally announce his decision of shrinking the national monuments – Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears.

“Remember I said we're bringing Christmas back? Christmas is back, bigger and better than ever before. We're bringing Christmas back,” Trump announced to loud cheers in Utah, the Hill reported.

According to reports, Trump has already begun executing his promise, as the cards sent out by the White House carried the traditional message of “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” instead of “Happy Holidays” — a message that was used when former President Barack Obama was in office.

Obama and his family tried to celebrate the time of Christmas in a more religiously inclusive way, deciding to do away with the manger scene, which marks the moment when Jesus Christ was born, altogether while decorating the White House during the holidays. Even though the nativity scene did appear in its usual spot, the East Room, every year, Obama had to face much criticism for his initial decision from the conservative population.

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), who introduced a resolution in 2015 that “the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected for use by those who celebrate Christmas” was delighted to learn Trump decorated the White House with the traditional red and gold, even displaying the nativity scene in all its glory in its usual spot.

“I think it’s great that we have a president who expresses support for Christmas, and I welcome his doing so,” Lamborn said, the Hill. “Unfortunately, there are some Grinches out there who oppose Christmas, and I think it’s great for Congress to make a positive declaration that Christmas is a part of our national life. It’s been a federal holiday since the year 1870, and people should freely enjoy, if they so choose, to express themselves as being in favor of Christmas.”