CNN’s Phil Mattingly puzzled by Trump’s cryptic Christmas Day post: ‘What the hell does that mean?’

WASHINGTON, DC: CNN correspondent Phil Mattingly looked genuinely puzzled during the Friday, December 26 broadcast of 'Inside Politics'.

President Donald Trump had dropped a strange, politically loaded message on social media for Christmas Day and told Democrats that the day “may be your last Merry Christmas,” and Mattingly did not seem to know what to make of it.

The odd timing and the statement itself threw off a lot of media commentators; they couldn’t quite pin down the tone or the point.

Trump’s message, shared on the platform X on December 25, included sharp language aimed at Democrats and references to figures connected with Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump’s post mixes holiday greeting with political attack

In one line, the president wrote that the holiday “may be your last Merry Christmas!” before launching into a broader critique of political opponents.

The post Trump shared combined holiday greetings with pointed political commentary. 

“Merry Christmas to all, including the many sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein, gave him bundles of money, went to his island, attended his parties, and thought he was the greatest guy on earth, only to ‘drop him like a dog,’” wrote Trump. "When things got too HOT, falsely claimed they had nothing to do with him, didn’t know him, said he was a disgusting person, and then blame, of course, President Donald J. Trump, who was actually the only one who did drop Epstein, and long before it became fashionable to do so."

“Now the same losers are at it again, only this time so many of their friends, mostly innocent, will be badly hurt and reputationally tarnished. But sadly, that’s the way it is in the World of Corrupt Democrat Politics!!! Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas! President Donald J. Trump,” the POTUS added. 

Phil Mattingly gets confused about what Trump meant

“President Trump had a very special Christmas message last night,” Mattingly said. “I want to read some of it for our viewers.”

And then he went on to read Trump’s social media rant on Epstein and Democrats.

Mattingly turned to his guests and posed a question to Zachary Wolf.

“In the spirit of the season. Zach Wolf, what the hell does that mean?” Mattingly asked.

“I don’t know, but it was a really long sentence,” Wolf responded. “I was trying to like, when is he going to come up with a period there? I think that that means that nothing is changing about Donald Trump anytime soon, as he sort of enters the last three years of his political career here. It’s the same guy. I’m reminded of tweets earlier in his career where he was very divisive about ‘Merry Christmas.’ Thanks to all the haters.’ We’re still there.”

“The ‘haters and losers,'” Mattingly echoed. “Those were the early-day bangers."

Trump’s Christmas message quickly became a topic of discussion across news outlets and social platforms, with commentators from various outlets scrutinizing its wording and intent.