First Lady Melania Trump’s newly-unveiled red Christmas trees have been likened to characters in dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale. Mrs Trump shared photos and videos of the 2018 White House decorations Monday morning, with a row of bright-red trees lining one corridor soon compared to enslaved women in the hit Hulu adaptation. One tweeter called PsyGremlin wrote: ‘Christmas decorations look like they hanged handmaids in the White House.’Jessica Knight said: ‘Reminds me of something from the Handmaids Tale.’ Linda Theresa shared a photo of handmaids with the caption ‘Christmas at the White House 2018’.
And a third tweeter called Mildred shared a snap of Melania walking through the corridor of trees, adding: ‘Handmaid’s Tale, the tree collection.’ The sci-fi novel, written by Margaret Atwood and recently adapted into a TV show starring Elisabeth Moss, sees women treated as the property of the state and forced into sexual servitude in a bid to tackle a plummeting birth rate. Mrs Trump’s husband Donald has been criticized for his attitude towards women, with pro-choice critics also warning that his administration poses a threat to a woman’s right to have an abortion. Other commenters speculated whether the red trees were a nod to the official red colour of Donald Trump’s Republican party.
The decorations, centred around the theme ‘American Treasures’ also include a model White House and US Capitol illuminated in a chilly white light. Mrs Trump’s main tree has been decorated in blue and gold, with ribbons bearing the names of all 50 states. Others made a more general criticism of her decor, with Annmarie tweeting that the FLOTUS had created a ‘look, don’t touch house’ vibe with her ‘cold, uninviting decor.’ Lisa Griffin tweeted: ‘Yeeks. Coldest, creepiest, most unwelcoming Christmas decorations ever.’‘I shudder to know how much $$ we wasted on them.’ But others heaped praise on Mrs Trump’s choices with Rick Peterson writing: ‘Wow you knocked it out of the park again. ‘Great looking White House, the best ever with great colour and elegance Merry Christmas to the family … And Marcia Buchla tweeted: ‘The classiest and most sophisticated holiday decorations in the White House ever!!! Thank you!!!’.
