Did Obama ban the Nativity Scene from the White House? Fact Check

Rumours claim that President Barack Obama had banned the Nativity Scene during his 8 year tenure at the White House and also banned the terms “Christmas Tree” and “Merry Christmas”

FALSE

Various fake stories and online social media posts have made various claims that during President Obama’s tenure, the former president had banned the Christian nativity scene from the White House, and that he ordered Christmas trees to be referred to as Holiday Trees.

The rumours circulated nearly every year during Obama’s 8 year term, and are subsequently ignited during Christmas as many online spectators claim that Obama’s successor, President Trump, had “put Christ back into the White House.”

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However, despite the claims, there indeed was a traditional Nativity Scene at the White House during every single year in which President Obama was in office. In fact, according to the White House website, the same Nativity display – carved in Naples, Italy and later donated to the White House – can be seen in the White House’s East Room each year since the 1960s, including the 8 years Obama occupied the Oval Office.

We looked at 2015, Obama’s 7th year, and found this from the archived White House website regarding festive decorations.

East Room:…
A long-standing holiday tradition—the White House crèche—graces this room. The nativity scene made of terra cotta and intricately carved wood was fashioned in Naples, Italy in the eighteenth century. Donated to the White House in the 1960s, this piece has sat in the East Room for the holidays for more than forty-five years, spanning nine administrations.

In fact, images of the Nativity Scene on display were not difficult to locate. Again, this image below is from 2015, Obama’s 7th year –

The same Nativity Scene is on display in the East Room in 2017, the Trump’s first Christmas at the White House.

This rumour is also coupled with another claiming that during Obama’s tenure at the White House he banned the word Christmas Tree, instead opting for Holiday Tree. Again this is easily to dismiss since one can find any number of examples of Obama referring to Christmas trees or ample examples in the White House archives of the decorations being referred to as Christmas trees for every year Obama was in office.

Similar rumours that claim President Obama banned the greeting “Merry Christmas” in the White house are also without substance. This claim has also been suggested by Obama’s successor, President Trump, but it is easily dismissible, for example with a compilation of videos of Obama saying Merry Christmas.