President Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended Christmas service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on Monday night.
The Trumps were escorted to a front pew of the church as services began, according to a White House pool report.
The couple arrived to the service, officially titled “The Eve of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ Festival Holy Eucharist,” at about 11 p.m. The packed service was streamed live on the National Cathedral’s website as well, according to ABC News.
The Christmas Eve service, which began at 10 p.m., includes readings from the Holy Scripture, hymns, and choral and instrumental music, according to an event description.
The service is described as “one of most beautiful services of the year” on the cathedral’s website.
Trump most likely would have been attending Christmas services at a church near his estate in Palm Beach, Florida. But he scrapped plans to head to Florida for the holidays after parts of the government were forced to shut down indefinitely in a budget stalemate with Congress.
Video: President Trump and First Lady attends Christmas Eve
Earlier on this day, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump took Christmas Eve calls from children anxious to find out where Santa is on his gift-giving journey.
Mrs. Trump later tweeted that helping children track Santa “is becoming one of my favorite traditions!”
Helping children across the country track #Santa is becoming one of my favorite traditions! @Potus and I enjoyed working with @NORADSanta – #ChristmasEve pic.twitter.com/CYNkARbFaI
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) December 25, 2018
This year, Trump has remained in D.C. instead of going to Mar-a-Lago amid the partial government shutdown, which began on Friday.
Melania Trump boarded a plane in West Palm Beach on Monday afternoon to return to the capital to join with her husband for Christmas. It’s not clear whether Barron returned with his mother, and he did not attend the Christmas service.
Source: AP, The Hill & ABC News
