On Sunday, President Donald Trump said he was “proud to have led the charge against the assault” on the phrase “Merry Christmas.” The 45th president also posted two tweets using the phrase.

However, just a few years before he started spewing claims about America’s lack of “Merry Christmas” greetings, Trump was actually telling people “Happy Holidays” instead.

Back in December 2010 when Trump’s predecessor President Barack Obama was in office, the former reality TV star spread some Yuletide cheer with his Twitter followers and failed to use the very phrase he recently alleged was under attack.

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“Wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday season!” Trump wrote at the time.





Trump has often accused Obama of not saying “Merry Christmas” during the holiday season. But, as he did during every year of his presidency, Obama wished all of his followers a “Merry Christmas” on Twitter on Monday.

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“On behalf of the Obama family, Merry Christmas. We wish you joy and peace this holiday season,” he wrote.





In addition to his presidential social media handles, Obama wished Americans “Merry Christmas” in his yearly holiday video while he was in office. He was also caught on film using the phrase while addressing citizens and giving speeches during his tenure.

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The controversy surrounding the holiday phrases was launched by religious conservatives under the belief that saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” was an attempt to rid the season of its Christian significance.

Trump apparently agrees with the theories and has previously expressed his disdain with retailers instructing employees to say “Happy Holidays” as opposed to “Merry Christmas” during the holidays. While on the campaign trail in 2015, Trump even vowed to “make Christmas great again” by requiring people to greet others with the phrase “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays."

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"If I become president, we're going to be saying Merry Christmas at every store," he said during a rally.

This article was first written by Newsweek

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