On Christmas Day 2023, Donald Trump posted a series of messages on Truth Social going after President Joe Biden, special counsel Jack Smith and other opponents. One began, “Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden's ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith,” extended greetings to “World Leaders, both good and bad, but none of which are as evil and 'sick' as the THUGS we have inside our Country,” and concluded: “MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
The post exemplified Trump's pattern of using holidays and moments traditionally reserved for unity to attack perceived enemies. Rep. Debbie Dingell called it “one of the most pathetic Christmas greetings I've heard”; Trump answered by calling her a “loser.” A Biden campaign spokesperson called it an “erratic Christmas Day rant,” and Biden replied, citing “an expression they say in church sometimes”: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
The message also attacked Smith's prosecution of Trump as a “poorly executed WITCH HUNT,” casting Trump as a victim of political persecution while wishing his opponents damnation, on one of the most important Christian holidays.
Correction (October 14, 2026): This entry previously quoted Trump as calling his adversaries “SICK thugs.” The post's actual wording, quoted above, called the “THUGS” in the country “evil and 'sick.'” The entry also said the message railed against the multiple criminal indictments he faced; the post attacked Smith's prosecution specifically, and the summary now says so.