Donald Trump’s first Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the White House was an absolute disaster, and it’s worth revisiting as we enter the holiday season — because it’s sure to bring many more humiliating experiences for the president.
Trump, the only president who brags about his crowd sizes (even though they’re NOTHING to boast about), continues to get fact-checked by actual images from his events. The same thing happened at the tree-lighting ceremony that took place at President’s Park late last year when images from the event portray HUNDREDS of empty seats.
While Trump pretended everything was fine and went through the countdown and Christmas lighting motions with First Lady Melania, people on social media couldn’t help but point out a very sparse crowd for the traditional ceremony.
Steve Rudin, a weather forecaster for ABC7 News who was at the event, was among the first to publicize it. He wrote:
The National Tree Lighting ceremony was beautiful this evening – but hard not to notice the empty seats.”
The National Tree Lighting ceremony was beautiful this evening – but hard not to notice the empty seats. #Christmas #DMV #USA pic.twitter.com/oKMrnnBekG
— Steve Rudin ABC7 (@SteveRudinABC7) November 30, 2017
Ruden explained that he’d taken the photo before Trump had started speaking, but that the audience “did not fill up once the show started.” He added:
Once the President and First Family arrived, I believe the entire place went on lock-down with very little if any movement from the outside in.”
And it only got worse from there. Some Twitter users compared it to Obama’s final tree lighting ceremony in 2016 — which we all know is the fastest way to make Trump explode.
It was also 5 degrees colder for Obama’s 2016 tree lighting ceremony And the wind was blowing from NW at 8-10 mph, while Trump ceremony the wind was at 3 mph from the SE. So, it felt much colder in 2016. pic.twitter.com/0s6xUHrYLj
— Alternative NOAA (@altNOAA) December 1, 2017
It’s all about that base. A sad #ChristmasTreeLighting story @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/EUbIAcgs2G
— NowLetsGrabEmByTheSubpoena (@ThatsSoDebasing) December 1, 2017
Don’t retweet this National Tree Lighting comparison picture. @realDonaldTrump will be mad to see more came to @BarackObama’s ceremony. pic.twitter.com/elVrlFEciD
— Jeremy Dickey (@JeremyDDickey) November 30, 2017
Let’s just say that Trump was pissed. In reaction, he whined that the media’s reports were trying to “demean” him. He whined:
We had a massive crowd of people. We had a crowd… I looked over that sea of people, and I said to myself, ‘wow’, and I’ve seen crowds before. Big, big crowds. That was some crowd.”
Be prepared for something even worse this year.
Featured image via screen capture
