MSNBC trolls Trump with clips of Obama saying 'Merry Christmas' after he claims he is 'bringing it back'

Conservatives have frequently claimed there is a ‘war on Christmas’ in America

President Donald Trump frequently takes credit for inventing a turn of phrase he didn't actually create, and promises to bring back the delights of the old days that may not have ever really left.

He once claimed he invented the word “fake news”. He’s taken credit for inventing an economic phrase coined in the 1930s, long before he was born. Now, as the holiday season entering high gear, the President is returning to his promise to start saying “Merry Christmas” in America again.

The only problem for Mr Trump is, well, America never really stopped saying Merry Christmas. And, the proof is so readily available that MSNBC decided to troll the President with a montage of former President Barack Obama wishing the country a Merry Christmas.

“Have a very Merry Christmas,” Mr Obama says in the first clip.

Then, clip after clip shows the same thing: He says it to kids at an appearance with the Boys and Girls Club. He says it in the Oval Office. Michelle Obama says it. He says it standing at the presidential podium. He says it in front of toys. He says it in Hawaiian.

The claim that America doesn’t say “Merry Christmas” is a common grudge carried by conservatives in the US.

Representing feelings of frustration with a diverse American society, and the proliferation of less Christian-centric phrases like “happy holidays” that are perhaps more inclusive, the rally behind a perceived “War on Christmas” has become a staple for end of the year conservative media banter.

As MSNBC illustrated, though, the President of the United States never really stopped saying “Merry Christmas”. Apparently Mr Obama, a self-described Christian who has cited the church as an important part of his life, isn’t so hostile to Christmas cheer as Mr Trump might imply.