And all across our land, Melania and I would like to wish you a very, very Merry Christmas. And now, the First Lady will do the honors of lighting the National Christmas Tree.
So we’ll count from five down to that very special number. Five, four, three, two, one! (Applause.)
That’s great. (Music plays.) That’s beautiful. Thank you very much.
And let us show our appreciation to the incredible workers at the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, please. Did such an incredible job. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
And thank you, as well, to the U.S. Marine Corps Band and the Tucson Arizona Boys Choir. You know that. The chorus is fantastic. And thank you very much, Tucson Arizona. Thank you very much.
I also want to thank a special group of young, wonderful people: West Tennessee Youth Chorus. They’re here and they’re doing beautifully. (Applause.)
In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree.
Later that night, African American community centers held an outdoor worship service on these grounds. And during that service, the Washington Monument was illuminated with a beautiful cross, a powerful reminder of the meaning of Christmas.
More than 2,000 years ago, a brilliant star shone in the East. Wise men traveled far, far afield. I mean, they were a long distance away. And they came and they stood with us under the star, where they found the Holy Family in Bethlehem. As the Bible tells us, when the Wise Men “had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshipped him.”
Christians give thanks that the Son of God came into the world to save humanity. Jesus Christ inspires us to love one another with hearts full of generosity and grace.
Joining us today are David and Sharron Hudson of the Salvation Army. Each year, through their Angel Tree program, the Salvation Army brings new gifts to more than 600,000 children. David and Sharron are an inspiration to us all. And, David and Sharron, thank you very much for being with us. Thank you. (Applause.)
Also with us is Sarah Verardo, the wife of a wounded hero and the CEO of Independence Fund, which serves wounded warriors. During the holidays, Sarah gives high-tech wheelchairs to veterans and hosts Christmas celebrations for those in recovery. Does a fantastic job. And, Sarah, thank you very much. You’re uplifting our nation. Thank you very much. Thank you, Sarah. (Applause.) Thank you.
We’re forever in debt to the brave veterans and service members. We applaud their noble service. There is nobody like them. They are an inspiration to us all. We also salute our incredible police and sheriffs, federal law enforcement, Secret Service, as well as our firefighters, paramedics, and first responders. And thank you all for being here. We have a lot of you here. And again, very, very incredible, special people. Thank you very much for being here. (Applause.)
And here tonight is Pastor Obed Jauregui of Bethany Church in Nazarene, in Miami. His congregation serves Thanksgiving meals to families in need, and now they are preparing their annual toy drive. Pastor Obed, thank you very much. And we really do appreciate you being with us. You’re a special man who has done an incredible job. People are talking about you all over our country. What a great job you’ve done. Thank you very much, Pastor. (Applause.)
And at Christmas, we remember this eternal truth: Every person is a beloved child of God. As one grateful nation, we praise the joy of family, the blessings of freedom, and the miracle of Christmas.
On behalf of Melania and our entire family, Merry Christmas and God bless you all. Thank you very much. Merry Christmas, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)
The above comes from a Dec. 5 release from the White House.
To see video of ceremony, click here.
Isn’t it wonderful to have grace, elegance, decency, support for Judeo-Christian values and faith, support for the American way of life, support for freedom and courage back in the White House? I thank God every day for President Trump.
Cassie… its strictly Christian values, Jews have nothing to do with it in large part….
Tell that to the Old Testament, sir.
I agree Cassie. Merry Christmas to President Trump and his family
I sent a Christmas card to them and got a nice response note from the White House. They need your prayers and support – send a card, let then know!
Give praise and thanks to God for President and Mrs. Trump. Please God, let us have him for another 4 years.
It is hard to support President Trump’s actions and still call oneself a Christian. He may say the right things, but his actions speak louder: he cages babies taken from their mothers, he lets children die in his detention centers, he spits on the Constitution and exemplifies all that is un-American. Never have we had such a rotten to the core person in that office. He brings disgrace to our country. He wiped out over two hundred years of culture in two years. Nobody trusts the US anymore. This week he will meet, in the White House Oval Office with the Foreign Minister of Russia, a country that invaded and annexed part of an ally country, a sworn enemy of the US. That alone makes him a despicable person who cares not one twit for our country.
Bob One, it the ruling class and the big government thugs that have been spitting on the Constitution since the so called progressive era started almost 100 years. Trump imperfect as he is proves he puts the nation over globalist world order.
Uh Bob One if you recall the Russian annexation of the Crimea took place under your dear friend Obama.. So should the US risk a war with Russia over something that Americans have no concern for except for the Foreign Policy Criminal syndicate that currently occupies DC.
Bohemond, that depends. Do we want to say that it’s ok for a country to invade and annex another country with no repercussions? Do we want to say to the world that we will not support an ally that has been invaded? Do we want to ignore Article 5 of the NATO agreement when a member is invaded? Remember, that we did nothing to stop the Nazi invasion of Poland, Finland, Belgium, etc. until we had a full-blown world war. President Obama should have led a charge to push our sworn enemy to back off in the Crimea or taken appropriate action to kick them out, don’t you think?
No I dont think Bob One, quite frankly I have enough of the US being the world’s policeman, Crimea has gone back and forth between the Ukraine and Russia since the time of Czars and it is not worth a single drop of American blood. Answer this directly is a threat of a nuclear conflict with Russia for territorial integrity of the Ukraine worth it. ???? I know its not……The truth is Bob One you and rest of the Left still can’t over your side losing in 2016…End of Story
Very few US Servicemenbers serve in Ukraine, Bohemond. There are almost as many Trump attorneys and cabinet members there are Army at any one time, however. And the country calls itself “Ukraine” not “the Ukraine”.
Despite my grammatical errors I stand by my statement that this is an attempt to overturn the results of an election that you and rest of the Left did not like
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemoller
Yes Bob One, except its the LEFT that coming for people, try being a conservatie on a college campus and see what happens. The left is doing what it has always done, promoting evil