The following article by Brakkton Booker was posted on the NPR website November 30, 2017:
Updated at 6:47 p.m. ET
Credit: Whitney Curtis/Getty Images
One of the nation’s oldest holiday celebrations took place Thursday evening on the Ellipse next to White House — the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree. It is a tradition that dates back to the Coolidge administration in the 1920s and was President Trump’s and first lady Melania Trump’s first time taking part in the event since moving into the White House.
The ceremony comes a day after the president reiterated a pledge he’s echoed many times since becoming a candidate in 2015 to end the so-called war on Christmas. At a speech Wednesday in Missouri to publicize the GOP tax overhaul expected to come up for a vote in the Senate this week, President Trump kicked off his remarks by saying: “I told you that we would be saying Merry Christmas again, right?”
Here’s a closer look at the president’s claim. Continue reading “FACT CHECK: Trump’s Pledge To Restore ‘Merry Christmas’ To The White House Facebook Twitter Flipboard Email”