Each year the Commander in Chief of the armed forces has a holiday phone call with the troops.
The call usually consists of remarks by the President as well as a less formal chat with military members on the call.
During this year's call with President Donald Trump, the typical questions were asked. But one appeared to stump Trump.
The question—broadcast on C-SPAN—concerned First Lady Melania Trump.
The questioner—not shown on the screen—asked:
"What did you get Mrs. Trump for Christmas this year?"
The President's immediate response was:
"Ahh... that's a tough question."
The President then paused to collect his thoughts and said:
"Uhhh... well, I really should say a very beautiful card. Ya know, I'm working on a lot of things. I got her a beautiful card that actually I had a number of them picked and I picked the nicest one."
Trump added;
"Uh, a lotta love and we love our family and we love each other and we've had a, uhh... a great relationship like you do hopefully with your spouses."
"We've had a great relationship and uh, I think I'll... I'll add to that by saying I'm still working on the Christmas present. Is that OK?"
"There's a little time left. Not too much, but there's a little time left."
You can watch his response here.
Trump on what he got Melania for Christmas: "Oh, that's a tough question ...I really should say, a very beautiful card. I had a number of them picked & I picked the nicest one. A lot of love ...we've had a great relationship like few do...I'm still working on a Christmas present" pic.twitter.com/zs1Ox2O4CC
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 24, 2019
Translation: "I didn't get her anything."
— Trumpy Trumpy (parody) (@outofcontroljb) December 24, 2019
Needless to say, people had thoughts about the President's comments.
“It's the most beautiful card. No card is better. I know cards more than anybody. It's a perfect card. The best card available anywhere. I'm president, so I can get better cards than everyone else. And it has my favorite Bible quote. Don't ask me what that is. But it's great!"
— Bob B🎼🎸 (@kitebro) December 24, 2019
Would he say his relationship with Melania is greater that the one he had with Ivana? Or the one he had with Marla while still married to Ivana? What about the relationship he had with Karen MacDougal while married to Melania? How great was that? He has a lot to compare.
— Jingling All The Way (@RebekahWriter) December 24, 2019
"We have a great relationship", is what he also says about Kim Jong-Un, Bolsonaro and Putin...
Melania is just another foreigner he knows, he has to keep a good relationship with.
— Vincent Carmiggelt (@graphincent) December 24, 2019
"I had a number of them picked & I picked the nicest one."
TRANSLATION: "I had someone on my staff buy a bunch of cards and I picked out one of them to give to Melania. And, no, I didn't give the staff person any money with which to purchase the cards."
— Kathleen Lenkeit #DisloyalToTrump 🌊 (@KathleenLenkeit) December 24, 2019
Does he ever speak human?
— Cat Food Casserole (@CasseroleFood) December 24, 2019
Many echoed shades of prior comments made by Trump.
No one has studied cards like #IMPOTUS. Melanie has a Holiday some call it Christmas. It's real big. Bigger than Thanksgiving with all it's gases.
I flush at Thanksgiving. Like lots of times. Tremendous,serious flushing but I don't know why the eagles die. Why flush eagles?
— flwrong (@flwrong2) December 24, 2019
He has no idea what the servants bought for his wife.
— Patrick Hirigoyen (@Pat_Hirigoyen) December 24, 2019
Wonder what he got Melania's son, together. Someone should ask but apparently no one's allowed to say the kid's name.
— Elizabeth Quinn-nolistsplease (@julepandme) December 24, 2019
Boy if only MY husband could pick out the beautifullest card among the ones his assistant picked. Unfortunately I think the box under the tree isn't the prettiest card out of a group 😕 he probably doesn't love me as much as #45 loves Melanie
— Pretty Girl from Minnesota (@Ondria514) December 24, 2019
And many speculated that someone else made the gift purchases...
“I'm to busy golfing on my resort that I just couldn't find any time to get a gift for my wife, but I did have 1 of my aides pick her out a card & signed my beautiful name"...
— Stacey 🙋♀️🆘 (@Staceymoon52) December 24, 2019
...and that the past tense was accurate.
she asked Santa for the same thing she does every year: the destruction of her pre-nuptial agreement
— c lewis silberman (@silbecl) December 24, 2019
Well, I mean the 25 million laundered through her friend and the inaugural committee was a pretty nice gift, I suppose.
— Savage Democrat (@democrat_savage) December 24, 2019
While one person suggested a better gift for the First Lady.
Who the hell gets their wife a “beautiful card" for Christmas? He'd be better off getting her a Peloton.
— Rick Kitten (@kitten_rick) December 24, 2019
In addition to talking about his FLOTUS gift, Trump also took the opportunity to tell the troops about the greatness of convicted felon Roger Stone who he barely knows and who never worked on his campaign except when he did.
"[Roger Stone] got hit very hard, as did General Flynn, as did a lot of other people. And now they're finding out it was all a big hoax" -- Trump doesn't rule out pardoning Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, among others pic.twitter.com/MkEU8HEdtU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 24, 2019
He also took the chance to attack his predecessor, President Barack Obama.
Trump uses his Christmas call to the troops to demean President Obama and put himself over pic.twitter.com/OQmt5QKxya
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 24, 2019
And brag about his work ethic and Mar-a-Lago.
Trump, who spent hours last night and this morning live-tweeting Fox News, tells the troops "I'm at a place called Mar-a-Lago. We call it the 'southern White House' because I really pretty much work. That's what I like to do is work." pic.twitter.com/FTlnYOE2c9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 24, 2019
You can watch the President's formal remarks to the troops here.
Here's Trump struggling to read the word "clandestine" during his Christmas call with the troops pic.twitter.com/y48TGzEWXq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 24, 2019
You can tell he really means it pic.twitter.com/Q02wQOGFzH
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 24, 2019
With the holidays coming and going, these Beautiful"Thank You" Pop up Cards (Set of 4), available here, can help you say thanks for whatever great gift you received.