Melania Trump was once the one making controversial White House design choices. Now, it’s Donald Trump.
In a striking contrast to her previous term, First Lady Melania Trump has opted for a more traditional approach to the White House Christmas decorations for 2025. This year’s theme, “Home Is Where The Heart Is,” draws inspiration from childhood nostalgia and the symbolism of butterflies, reflecting a softer, more classic aesthetic. Gone are the avant-garde designs that characterized her earlier holiday displays, such as the stark white branches and blood-red forests that sparked controversy. Instead, the White House is adorned with classic Christmas trees, garlands, and 75 wreaths featuring red bows, aligning more closely with the holiday decor of past first ladies. This shift in style mirrors Melania’s overall public persona, as she has chosen muted fashion choices and a lower profile during her second term, often splitting her time between Washington, D.C., Trump Tower, and Mar-a-Lago.
In stark contrast to Melania’s understated decorations, President Donald Trump has made dramatic changes to the White House’s interior. His bold decisions include the demolition of the East Wing to create a massive 90,000-square-foot ballroom, a project that has significantly altered the layout of the historic residence. The demolition has left the first lady with a reduced space to showcase her holiday decor, yet she has still managed to create a visually appealing atmosphere, featuring “Be Best” ornaments in support of her children’s wellness initiative and 3D printed ornaments linked to her Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge. However, it was Donald Trump’s contributions, including a striking portrait of himself after surviving an assassination attempt, that garnered the most attention during the Christmas unveiling. This juxtaposition of Melania’s classic holiday spirit and Donald’s bold, attention-grabbing designs highlights the contrasting roles they play in the public eye, with Melania embracing tradition while Donald seeks to make a statement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9l4A05Bk8c
Melania Trump and Donald Trump.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images ; Alex Wong/Getty Images
Melania Trump’s 2025 White House Christmas decorations are more traditional than in past years.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, has made dramatic White House design changes during his second term.
The first lady appears to be playing it safe, while the president is doing anything but.
Gone are the bare white branches and blood-red forests that once adorned the halls of the White House in December. Instead, they’ve been replaced with classic Christmas trees and standard-issue garlands.
While first lady
Melania Trump’s Christmas decorations
leaned more avant-garde in her first term, during a visit to the White House on Monday, I saw she has taken a more traditional approach in her second term as first lady.
Now, President Donald Trump is the one making dramatic White House design choices.
US First Lady Melania Trump walks through Christmas decorations in the East Wing as she tours holiday decorations at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 27, 2017. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
This year, the first lady chose to decorate the White House around the theme of “Home Is Where The Heart Is,” drawing inspiration from the nostalgia of childhood toys and the transformative symbolism of butterflies, according to the 2025 “Christmas at the White House” guidebook.
Her signature detail is the red bows that appear on the 75 wreaths in the White House windows, a more conventional choice in line with
past first ladies’ holiday displays
.
Wreaths in the windows of the White House.
Talia Lakritz/Business Insider
Melania Trump’s yuletide aesthetic plays it safe — an approach that has been reflected in other areas of her life.
Her fashion choices have been noticeably more muted than the outfits she wore during her first term as first lady. She often opts for
skirt suits in gray and beige
with only the occasional vibrant piece, a departure from her statement-making and
sometimes controversial style
during the first Trump administration.
She also told Fox News in January that instead of residing at the White House full time, she planned to divide her time between Washington, DC, Trump Tower in New York City, and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, making her
public appearances
more infrequent.
Contrasting styles on display
While Melania Trump keeps a lower profile at the White House, Donald Trump’s is doing anything but.
In addition to adding numerous gold embellishments to the Oval Office and portraits of himself to the Cross Hall, he oversaw the demolition of the entire
East Wing
to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 23: An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House.
Eric Lee/Getty Images
This disparity was evident when I visited the White House to view the Christmas decorations on Monday.
The absence of the East Entrance and East Colonnade, due to the demolition of the East Wing, left the first lady with a smaller canvas to decorate.
Christmas decorations are seen in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, December 1, 2025, during a Christmas decoration media tour.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The halls lined with Christmas trees and garlands chosen by Melania Trump were certainly beautiful. The decor featured “Be Best” ornaments in a nod to her initiative focused on children’s wellness and AI-generated, 3D printed ornaments in recognition of her Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge.
The piece of decor that attracted the largest crowd was one of Donald Trump’s design contributions: a portrait by artist Marc Lipp depicting the president with his fist in the air after surviving an assassination attempt.
A painting of President Donald Trump in the Cross Hall.
Talia Lakritz/Business Insider
Melania Trump may have been the one to deck the halls, but it was Donald Trump who seemed to steal the show.
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