Strong winds forced the National Christmas Tree at the White House to fall over on Tuesday. According to the National Park Service, the 40-foot tree was toppled during particularly strong wind gusts that came through the Washington area in the afternoon on Tuesday. Many have seen the disaster as a metaphor for the Biden administration’s time in office.
According to the agency, a snapped cable was replaced. Though the tree did fall over from these strong winds, it doesn’t appear that the tree was damaged in any way and is now back to standing upright.
The agency also assured the public that they were “looking at all possibilities to ensure a successful event this year.”
The National Christmas Tree in front of the White House fell down Tuesday afternoon amid high winter winds. According to the National Park Service, it fell over around 1 p.m. Tuesday amid heavy wind gusts, and was back up five hours later.
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Earlier on Tuesday, before the National Christmas Tree fell, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) attended the Capitol Christmas Tree lighting with other congressional leaders. Though Johnson said that the ceremony was a time for everyone to celebrate the holiday and come together, many Republicans took to find humor in the National Christmas Trees falling.
Republican social media users and conservative news quickly took the chance to compare the toppling of the tree to President Joe Biden’s White House administration. According to these critics, Biden can get nothing right — even a regular Christmas tree lighting.
Though Johnson called for unity during the holiday season, even the Capitol Christmas Tree lighting faced some drama when protestors interrupted the ceremony. These protestors chanted for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Some allegedly called Israel a “racist state.” Many were arrested, as seen in some videos posted to social media.
Many protests — from pro-Palestinian and pro-ceasefire to pro-Israel — have been seen in the capitol and around the U.S. since the Israel-Hamas war began. Many analysts believe these types of protests will likely continue to be seen in the near future, until the Israel-Hamas war is over or settled.
The National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony will take place on Thursday, unless severe weather and strong winds delay the event. As is custom since 1923, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will do the honors at the ceremony.
