Donald Trump Absent from White House Passover Seder

By Kelly Frazier --
11 Apr 2017 --

The White House Passover seder tradition was started by former President Barack Obama.

President Trump was officially scheduled to host the White House Passover seder last night, according to reports provided by an official within the administration.

Donald Trump Absent from White House Passover Seder[/tweetthis]

The tradition, which is now being continued by the Trump administration, was originally started by former US President, Barack Obama.

However, President Trump was not in attendance. Trump’s own daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner were not seen at the dinner either. The President’s absence was a surprise to those who expected him to attend, considering his problematic history with Jewish people.

The White House Seder became an annual tradition in 2009 and was first hosted by the Obamas in the Old Family Dining Room.
News about Trump’s plan to continue the tradition was first published by the Jewish Insider.

Obama had established the tradition after he had been part of a Passover dinner during the 2008 presidential campaign, which led to his victory. The then candidate had hosted an unannounced seder during the campaign at the Harrisburg Hotel ballroom in Pennsylvania, surprising the Jewish members of his campaign team.

Current President, Donald Trump, also has many Jewish members in his administration and it is believed that they are likely to have participated in the dinner. This list includes Special Envoy for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, Senior Adviser Stephen Miller, and Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn.

Ivanka and Jared also practice Judaism. In fact, the two observe the Shabbat and keep Kosher. They have also raised their three children to be Jewish. When the family shifted to Washington, their eldest daughter, Arabella, was enrolled into a Jewish Primary Day School.

Passover is a springtime holiday observation that aims to retell the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. Typically, this is celebrated with a ritual meal filled with food and symbolism. The holiday has also traditionally served as a host for political commentary and this time, it is no different.

While Trump’s administration celebrated Passover the traditional way, his critics decided to add their own twist.[/tweetit]

For instance, one anti-Trumper, a Veronica Ades, decided to “modify” her plans. Instead of reading about the ten plagues, Ades had her guests read about the Electoral College, the Freedom Caucus, the American Healthcare Act, and neo-Nazism.

Her idea was to take a dig at Trump, whom some Jews consider as being the modern day Pharaoh.

Another anti-Trumper, Blaire Levin, who works for the Federal Communications Commission, published a Passover parable depicting Trump as a Pharaoh who was unaware of Jefferson and possessed “tiny hands.”