Donald Trump Says He Told Melania to ‘Make the Trees Green’ After Her Past Christmas Decor Got Criticized: ‘Baby, Do Me a Favor’

President Donald Trump praised first lady Melania Trump for this year’s White House holiday decor — and he made it clear he believes the simpler approach helped avoid the backlash she faced in the past.

The Trumps welcomed guests to the White House for a Christmas reception on Sunday, Dec. 14. During remarks, the president applauded his wife’s work while joking about her popularity.

“We love our first lady. They love our first lady. What can I do? I don’t like it because I think they like her more than they like me. And I am not happy about it,” he said as Melania stood beside him. “I am not happy. We’re going to have to have a discussion about this.”

He then credited her directly for the holiday look. “Melania did all of these decorations and she’s gotten great reviews,” he said.

Trump also revisited the scrutiny that followed her earlier holiday themes during his first term.

“The first year, year one, she did the trees, they were white, and they were so, you know, snow, beautiful, and the fake news hit her hard,” he said. “The next year, they were red, gorgeous red. They hit her hard. The next year, they were another color. They hit her.”

This year, he said, he offered a suggestion aimed at keeping things traditional: “I said, ‘Baby, do me a favor. Do me a favor. Make the trees green. Let them just be green. They’re so beautiful. Let them be green.’ ”

Trump added that the move seemed to work. “Anyway, she has gotten the greatest reviews I’ve ever seen. And nobody has ever gotten reviews like this for the White House,” he said. “I actually like the white ones better, but what am I? She has done a great job.”

He echoed similar comments at last week’s Congressional Ball, telling guests that he preferred multiple looks over the years — but the reaction was never consistent.

“I would say this is the best,” he said, “although I liked the red trees. She got criticized for the red trees. Then I liked the white trees, and she was criticized for the white trees.”

“Then I liked the green trees, and she got criticized, and she went back to green, and they love it. So I don’t know what’s going on.”

Melania Trump has previously drawn attention for pushing the White House holiday aesthetic in unexpected directions, instead of sticking to the familiar formula of ornamented evergreens, garland, and traditional Americana.

During her first White House Christmas in 2017, she lined the East Colonnade with tall bundles of white-painted sticks, creating a stark, wintry corridor. The following year, she leaned even further into an unconventional look with shaggy trees in a deep red hue — a choice that drew especially sharp commentary, including The New York Times article titled “There Will Be Blood-Red Trees,” and The Cut’s tribute, “Melania’s Christmases, Ranked from Most to Least Haunted.”

For 2025, she returned to a more classic approach, announcing the theme as “Home is Where the Heart Is.”

This year, the Cross Hall is lined with traditional evergreen trees, decorated with gold and deep red ornaments. The White House said the first lady drew inspiration from “the joys, challenges, and frequent motion derived from motherhood and business.”

“The constant movement has taught me that home is not merely a physical space; rather, it is the warmth and comfort I carry within, regardless of my surroundings,” Melania, 55, said. “This Christmas, let’s celebrate the love we hold within ourselves, and share it with the world around us. After all, wherever we are, we can create a home filled with grace, radiance, and endless possibilities.”

As the season approached, Melania’s former chief of staff Stephanie Grisham also revisited an infamous audio recording from 2018 — later leaked — in which the first lady appeared frustrated by the holiday-decor process.

“I’m working … my ass off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f— about the Christmas stuff and decorations?” she said in the recording. “But I need to do it, right?”

Grisham later told the Daily Mail that her former boss “loves the holiday and she loves the events that have to do with children.”

“She puts a lot of time and attention to detail into the decorations and what not,” Grisham said.

According to Grisham, the irritation captured in the audio wasn’t about decorating itself, but about the “constant criticism” Melania received for her choices. “She’s definitely not a Grinch.”