An Ohio-based florist who helped bring first lady Melania Trump’s vision to life in this year’s White House Christmas decorations revealed she was stunned by the “horrible” social media reactions to the red Christmas trees.
Melania Trump unveiled the Christmas decorations last week, noting the theme is “American Treasures” and that it highlights “the spirit of patriotism.”
But one aesthetic choice in particular really caught the attention of social media users and liberal outlets — leading them to go wild with mass speculation and mockery: the 45 red Christmas trees leading to the Grand Foyer and Cross Hall.
The first lady chose red this year to represent “patriotism” and “the heart of America,” according to a White House press release.
But many leftists and mainstream media types ridiculed the red trees.
Some compared the scarlet trees to the iconic horror movie “The Shining,” as well as to the red capes worn by handmaids in the popular “The Handmaid’s Tale” TV series.
Florist Vickie Wenstrup of Amelia, Ohio, told local outlets that she was floored by the “horrible” criticism and mockery.
“I don’t know who first said it. Or why,” Wenstrup told the Cincinnati Enquirer last week. “The first thing I saw [on Google] was ‘Melania Trump covers the White House in blood for Christmas.'”
Wenstrup was one of 125 people selected out of a pool of 7,000 applicants to volunteer their decorating services at the White House. She personally helped decorate the red trees, which she said took three days to complete, according to WLWT5.
“It was just amazing to be there with all of the presidents’ portraits, the first ladies’ portraits hanging on the walls, all the American treasures,” Wenstrup said, according to WLWT5.
Wenstrup helped hand-pin the thousands of red cranberry clusters to the trees. In a post on Facebook, Wenstrup’s Amelia Florist Wine & Gift Shop page included a picture of her standing in front of one of the 10-foot red trees, which she touted as “one of my masterpieces!”
Related: Watch Melania’s Gracious Response to the Media’s Mockery of Her Christmas Decor
“We pinned each and every one of these single little cluster[s] of berries on one by one. It took hours! All of the styrofoam cones underneath had to be totally covered. We even had to go back and paint the silver pins, each one with a red paint pen to cover the mechanics,” Wenstrup wrote. “I thought we would never get finished. We had 45 of these trees to cover and complete in three days. It’s a miracle they turned out so perfect.”
But the criticism over the red trees was severe and widespread.
MSNBC called the decorations a “murder forest.”
Vogue said that “FLOTUS has chosen a theme more inspired by hell than a holly, jolly Christmas.”
Slate called them “red Christmas trees of death.”
Vice said that “Melania Trump’s Christmas from hell” pays “tribute to our country’s unique heritage of anguish and pain.”
The media criticized Melania Trump’s Christmas decorations last year as well, when white apparently became a controversial color for Christmas trees.
However, the first lady offered a gracious response to this year’s naysayers during a Wednesday event at Liberty University moderated by Eric Bolling, a conservative and a former Fox News host.
“We are in [the] 21st century and everybody has a different taste. I think they look fantastic,” Melania Trump said.
“I hope everybody will come over and visit it. In real life, they look even more beautiful. And you are all very welcome to visit the White House, the people’s house.”
Check out Melania Trump’s response in the video below:
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