In a 56-second YouTube video, first lady Melania Trump revealed a set of red trees lining the halls of the White House as part of this year’s Christmas decorations. Predictably, people freaked out, claiming the trees represented “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a Hulu series based on a novel of the same name penned by Margaret Atwood.
Someone did this to Melania Trump’s creepy Christmas trees, and it’s all I’ve ever wanted today. pic.twitter.com/MwigcZxswR
— Dana Goldberg (@DGComedy) November 26, 2018
The image of Melania walking alone through the bloody handmaid trees seriously made my morning pic.twitter.com/4KQOFPDIEI
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) November 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/derekleitch40/status/1067099039194365952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1067099039194365952&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Flife%2Fentertainthis%2F2018%2F11%2F26%2Fwhite-house-christmas-handmaids-tale%2F2120935002%2F
https://twitter.com/justinkirkland4/status/1067094762224783360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1067094762224783360&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5463388%2Fmelania-trump-christmas-decorations-trees-memes%2F
At the ceremony to reveal the decorations, Melania decided to skip the event, instead opting “to let the decorations speak for themselves,” her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said according to The Washington Post.
Skipping the media portion of the big reveal is a savage move on Melania’s part, and I love it. Leave everyone guessing as to what the red trees are about!
Last year, the first lady chose a very neutral-looking white Christmas theme, but people saw a dystopian nightmare in the decorations anyway.
Come and play with us, Barron
Forever
And ever
And ever pic.twitter.com/G2ld524ZKU
— Sleepwalker (@ZANTrav) November 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/Okinonan/status/935227378653126657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E935227378653126657&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fjunkee.com%2Fmelania-trump-white-house-christmas%2F136859
No matter what decorations the first lady chooses, many will see the Handmaid’s Tale in them because they dislike her husband. Going full-on crimson and not looking back with this year’s Christmas decor is Melania-the-expert-troll at her finest.
My favorite part of the video is the close-up shot on the wreath made of sharpened pencils with “Be Best” printed on them, the slogan for Melania’s anti-cyberbullying initiative, which many have mocked and criticized due to her husband’s online behavior.
“It is not news or surprising to me that critics and the media have chosen to ridicule me for speaking out on this issue, and that’s okay,” she told TIME magazine.
Using hand-crafted Christmas decor to double down on the Be Best initiative is a power move, as were the bright red trees.