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PresidentDonald Trumpis canceling theWhite House‘s 2018 holiday party for members of the press,Fox Newsfirst reported.
“The White House Christmas press party was not put on the holiday schedule this year,” a White House official confirmed to PEOPLE.
Trump has repeatedlyreferred to the news mediaas “the enemy of the people.”
“It’s my only form of fighting back,” Trumpsaid in the HBO docuseries AXIOSof his penchant for criticizing the press.
The White House held a holiday party for the press in 2017, but Trump did not take pictures with guests, according toThe Washington Post. As president, Trumphas skipped the Kennedy Center Honorsandthe White House Correspondents’ Dinner, two other yearly events that a commander in chief usually attends.
In November 2017, CNN announced that it would not send its journalists to that year’s holiday party,The Washington Postreported at the time.
On Twitter that month, Press SecretarySarah Huckabee Sandersexpressed delightat CNN’s decision. “Christmas comes early! Finally, good news from @CNN,” she wrote.
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The holidays are off to a rocky start for the Trumps. In November, online commentators criticized First LadyMelania Trump‘s White House Christmas decor, which includes intensely red trees and a“Be Best” ornament.
In avideo that Reuters postedfrom Liberty University, Mrs. Trumpdefended the “American Treasures” aesthetic.
“We are in 21st century and everybody has a different taste,” she said. “I think they look fantastic. I hope everybody will come over and visit it. In real life, they look even more beautiful. You are all welcome to visit the White House, the people’s house.”
Eric Trumpwas also the subject of the Internet’s irewhen he marketed Trump-themed Christmas ornaments onTwitter.
source: people.com
