According to hate group president Tony Perkins, Donald Trump, God’s emissary on earth, has saved Christmas! According to host Martha MacCallum, Americans are just so grateful!
On Thursday, The Story with Martha MacCallum gave the Christian right a Fox pulpit to express gratitude to Trump and, at the same time, advance the Fox-abetted lie that Christmas needed saving.
Host Martha MacCallum introduced Perkins, head of The Family Research Council, designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of its virulently anti-gay stance. Perkins spoke about his recent Christian fellowship with Trump who said, “Merry Christmas” to Perkins because now “we can say Merry Christmas again.”
Perkins told a nice Christian lie when, in mentioning the “Merry Christmas” White House greeting, he claimed that mentions of Christmas have “been absent in the last eight years.” He made sure to say that under Trump, “We’ve moved away from the politically correct ‘Happy Holidays’ to ‘Merry Christmas.’”
Perkins continued his Christian rant about how “This is about a lot more than just some assault on Santa Claus once a year” but, rather, “an ongoing attack on religious freedom in the public square.” This persecution of Christians, Perkins noted, was a “center point” of our Pastor-In-Chief’s campaign. Trump, according to Perkins, “understood that the ability to express your faith in the public square was under assault and he was going to be pushing back on that.”
MacCallum claimed, “I think People are relieved when you say ‘Merry Christmas’ to them. I think they’re happy to say it back to you.” (Note to Martha – nobody ever stopped saying it!) She claimed that people “don’t like ‘Season’s Greetings’ and ‘Happy Holidays.’” She abetted the myth that President Barack Obama never sent out “Merry Christmas” cards with a reference to a past White House “Happy Holidays” card. After noting that the White House had a Menorah, she asserted that Americans want to “recognize the richness of the different religions … and not diminish them by making them something generic.”
MacCallum and Perkins informed us, with great delight, that they make a point of saying “Merry Christmas” to those who work in stores. (I’m sure Jewish clerks love it!)
Trump, Perkins said admiringly, has told us, “It’s OK to express yourself on religious issues.” He claimed that, as a result, hordes of government workers are telling him that their bosses are now telling them that it’s OK to say “Merry Christmas.” (There was no evidence that there was ever a prohibition, but…)
FACT CHECK: The Obama administration said and tweeted “Merry Christmas” for 8 years. The Obama White House card sought to be inclusive to those whose traditions were not Christian. When Trump claims that he is restoring Christmas, he’s lying.
It looks like the Fox-concocted “War on Christmas” narrative might be over – but, in the spirit of the season, Fox has a new Christmas confabulation – the Trump Who Saved Christmas!!!!! (Joy to the Earth?)
Addendum: While Perkins correctly noted that the Pew Poll shows that the majority of Americans believe the biblical basis for the Christmas story, he didn’t mention that, according to the same poll, 52% of Americans say that they don’t care about stores saying either “Merry Christmas” or whatever.
Watch Fox’s “Trump Saved Christmas” myth above, via the December 21, 2017 The Story with Martha MacCallum.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
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