Melania Trump's White House Christmas Decor Preview Has Donald's Gaudy Taste All Over It

Think you have a tough time decking your halls for the holidays? Try being Melania Trump. Not only does she have to make the whole White House festive, but Melania also has been involved in huge scandals surrounding the season. She recently shared a teaser of her plans for Christmas 2025, perhaps in hopes of overcoming her rep as a Scrooge. Unfortunately, the glimpse hints that the People's House might be about to get a tacky gold makeover à la the Oval Office. 

The first lady's official Instagram feed posted a "Christmas meeting in the @WhiteHouse" clip on October 8, 2025. (When you have 12-plus rooms to decorate, you have to start early.) We see a close-up of the first lady walking, then the scene cuts to a shot of her hand gently placing an ornament ball on a table amid a string of artificial leaves and beads. The ornament and trim are in gold and white, which coincidentally just happens to be the same color scheme Donald Trump used for his presidential workspace. It wouldn't surprise us if the president had a bit of influence over his wife's holiday design. What could be more Trumpian than theming the Christmas display after his "Golden Age of America" messaging?

It's also quite possible Melania turned to her husband for advice on making the season merry and bright, in hopes he could help her create a look that would please even the harshest critics. She certainly faced her share of Yule-shaming during her first four years in the White House. 

Unlike past first ladies who embraced their role as presidential spouses, Melania Trump has made it clear where her priorities lie — and those priorities don't include people-pleasing at holiday time. Back in 2018, Melania was caught on tape complaining about doing White House Christmas decorating when she would rather have been at the southern border helping migrant children reunite with their families. In her frustration, she vented some regrettable sentiments: "I'm working...my as* off at Christmas stuff that, you know, who gives a f**k about Christmas stuff and decorations?" the first lady said to her former friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (per Twitter). "But I need to do it, right?" After Wolkoff released the tape two years later (hence the "former" part), Melania was doomed to be mocked as a Grinch. 

It doesn't help that the first lady's taste in holiday décor hasn't been entirely Santa and mistletoe. Twice, she committed aesthetic missteps which continue to haunt her. In 2017, she lined a hallway with bunches of bare white branches, with underlighting that took on a creepy quality at night and bore no resemblance to the "Time Honored Traditions" theme.The following year, she chose a display of blood-red trees which invited comparisons to horror movies and "The Handmaid's Tale." 

But let's face it: No matter what Melania has in mind for her fifth go-round, be it total gold glitz or minimalist chic, she's not likely to sway anyone's opinion one way or another. The preview clip on Instagram already has fans cheering her "elegance and class," and critics predicting another dystopian display. Either way, she and hundreds of volunteer decorators will be busy for the next couple of months.