The president's favorite TV show tackled an important topic inspiring nationwide debate on Friday, brought in an expert and somehow turned it all into a political controversy. Yes, we're talking about upside-down Christmas trees.
In a segment on Fox & Friends, host Pete Hegseth opened a discussion about trendy inverted decorations by linking them to the so-called war on Christmas, a rallying cry for some evangelicals and Republicans who argue politically correct culture is hurting American values. Hegseth wondered aloud whether having a traditional, right-side-up Christmas tree was part of those values and then asked Donald Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski what he thought.
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Here's Fox News and Corey Lewandowski getting offended by upside-down Christmas trees.
— MelsLien (@MelsLien) November 24, 2017
"I am sure that [the first family] will not be turning the tree upside down. They like this country's traditions." pic.twitter.com/TYiFCRyZnQ
Lewandowski first said he didn't know what the trend was about. Then, in a swift and almost masterful maneuver, he used it to attack the Democrats for their response to Senator Al Franken's recently revealed sexual misconduct.
"It's like an upside-down world. It's like Seinfeld, the bizarro world. Like you can be a U.S. senator after groping people on a picture and nobody has any accountability for it," Lewandowski said. "That's what the upside-down Christmas tree means to me. I mean, it's everything that is wrong."
He went on to say that he thought the Trump family would be keeping the White House Christmas tree—a 19-and-a-half-foot Balsam fir from Wisconsin—right side up because they appreciate the country's traditions.
Indeed, Trump has insisted, "We're saying 'Merry Christmas' again." But the upside-down tree is likely not an intentional assault on Christianity. Home decor website The Spruce explained in a blog post that the trend dates back to the 12th century, when people in Europe would hang the tree upside down to represent the holy trinity of the father, the son and the holy spirit. In more modern times, the upside-down Christmas tree has become popular in Poland.
It's already a (probably politically unaffiliated) trend this holiday season. The Hotel Del Coronado in California set up an upside-down Christmas tree in its lobby in order to be "whimsical." Target, which is selling an artificial flipped fir for $1,041, has promoted it as a way to conserve floor space.
Lewandowski, however, will apparently not be buying one.
"If you don't want to participate in Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever your holiday is, you don't have to, but I don't even know what an upside-down Christmas tree means," Lewandowski said. "I can be sure that the first family will not be turning their Christmas tree upside-down. They love this country and our traditions."