平安夜,唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统与部署在世界各地的军人分享圣诞问候,包括阿富汗海军陆战队、科威特陆军部队、亚丁湾海军舰艇、密苏里空军基地和阿拉斯加海岸警卫队。
据美联社报道,特朗普在佛罗里达州的私人俱乐部通过视频会议对军队说,“我想祝你圣诞快乐”,并称赞军队今年为消灭伊斯兰国武装组织最后一个领土哈里发和杀害伊斯兰国领导人阿布·巴克尔·巴格达迪所做的努力。
他还谈到了国内的经济成就和新年军队的加薪。特朗普说:“你让我们有可能做我们必须做的事情。”。
总统接受了军队的提问,其中一人问特朗普给了第一夫人梅兰妮·特朗普什么圣诞礼物。美联社报道,他开玩笑说他“还在做圣诞礼物”,但说他给她买了一张“漂亮的卡片”。“你让我想到了。我必须尽快开始工作,”他说。
军队还邀请总统参加返校节福雷斯·谢尔曼号美国军舰当驱逐舰明年返回弗吉尼亚州诺福克的母港时。
本周早些时候,梅兰妮·特朗普接了几个孩子的电话作为北美航空防务司令部北美防空司令部跟踪圣诞老人计划的一部分。孩子们谈论他们圣诞愿望清单上的物品。
美联社报道,据新闻秘书斯蒂芬妮·格里森称,据说第一夫人“提醒孩子们为圣诞老人准备牛奶和饼干,并祝每个孩子和他们的家人圣诞快乐”。
2019年12月24日,美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和第一夫人梅兰妮·特朗普抵达佛罗里达州棕榈海滩,与家人共进圣诞晚餐。尼古拉斯·卡姆/法新社通过盖蒂图像
特朗普总统和第一夫人梅兰妮·特朗普在与服务成员通话后,参加了佛罗里达州的圣诞夜教堂服务,然后在他的私人俱乐部用晚餐庆祝节日。
美联社报道,这对夫妇抵达西棕榈滩南部浸礼会附属教堂家庭教堂“烛光圣诞庆典”时,受到了掌声和欢呼的欢迎,他们坐在教堂的第三排座位上。
据美联社报道,这项服务包括简短的布道、阅读和传统的圣诞歌曲,从椽子上飘下“戏剧烟雾”和“假雪”。
家庭教堂的牧师吉米·斯克罗金斯在仪式中谈到了耶稣的诞生。“没有特勤局。没有车队。没有一大群记者,”他说纽约邮报报道。
特朗普夫妇之前参加过海边贝塞斯达的假日服务,这是棕榈滩的主教教堂,他们于2005年在那里结婚。
据《每日邮报》报道,他们去教堂做礼拜后,在佛罗里达州棕榈滩的总统私人俱乐部——马拉加举行了圣诞夜晚宴,这对夫妇抵达后受到了掌声欢迎纽约邮报。
据美联社报道,当被记者问及是否为众议院议长南希·佩洛西祈祷时,总统没有回应,而是说,“我们将度过美好的一年”。
总统还在晚宴上被发现与艾伦·德肖维茨交谈,艾伦·德肖维茨是哈佛大学法学教授和律师,也是特朗普的著名辩护律师。美联社指出,据报道德绍维茨正被考虑加入总统弹劾法律小组。
DONALD TRUMP TELLS TROOPS HE'S 'STILL WORKING ON A CHRISTMAS PRESENT' FOR MELANIA BEFORE COUPLE ATTEND CHURCH SERVICE
On Christmas Eve, President Donald Trump shared Christmas greetings with military service members deployed at stations around the world, including marines in Afghanistan, an army unit in Kuwait, a navy ship in the Gulf of Aden, an air force base in Missouri and a coast guard station in Alaska.
Speaking to troops via video conference from his private club in Florida, Trump said, "I want to wish you an amazing Christmas," and praised the armed forces for their efforts this year to eliminate the last of the Islamic State militant group's territorial caliphate and for killing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to AP.
He also spoke of the economic successes at home and a pay raise for troops in the new year. "You make it possible for us to do what we have to do," Trump said.
The president took questions from the troops, one of whom asked what Christmas gift Trump had given to first lady Melania Trump. He joked that he was "still working on a Christmas present" but said he got her a "beautiful card," AP reports. "You made me think. I'm going to have to start working on that real fast," he said.
The troops also invited the president to attend the homecoming of the USS Forrest Sherman when the destroyer returns to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, next year.
Earlier this week, Melania Trump answered calls from several children across the country as part of North American Aerospace Defense Command's Operation NORAD Tracks Santa program. The children spoke about items from their Christmas wishlists.
The first lady was said to have "reminded the kids to put milk and cookies out for Santa, and wished each child and their families a very merry Christmas," according to press secretary Stephanie Grisham, AP reports.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a Christmas Eve dinner with his family at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on December 24, 2019.
After his call with service members, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a Christmas Eve church service in Florida before celebrating the holiday with dinner at his private club.
The couple were welcomed with applause and cheers as they arrived at the "Candlelight Christmas Celebration" event at Family Church, a Southern Baptist-affiliated church in West Palm Beach, where they were seated in the church's third pew, the Associated Press reported.
The service entailed brief sermons, readings and traditional Christmas songs, with "theatrical smoke" and "fake snow" descending from the rafters, according to AP.
Jimmy Scroggins, the pastor at Family Church, spoke about the birth of Jesus during the service. "There was no Secret Service. There was no motorcade. There was no gaggle of press," he said, the New York Post reported.
The Trumps have previously attended holiday services at Bethesda-by-the-Sea, the Episcopal Church in Palm Beach at which they were married in 2005.
Their church attendance was followed by a Christmas Eve dinner at Mar-a-Lago, the president's private club in Palm Beach, Florida, where the couple were greeted with applause upon arrival, according to the New York Post.
When asked by a reporter whether he prayed for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the president reportedly did not respond but said, "We're going to have a great year," according to AP.
The president was also spotted at the dinner speaking to Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor and attorney, and prominent defender of Trump. Dershowitz is reportedly being considered to join the president's impeachment legal team, AP noted.