(The Hill) — A history-making menorah — which made its debut under former President Joe Biden — is not on display as part of the Trump White House’s annual holiday decor this year.
The candelabra — created by the Executive Residence Carpentry Shop using historic wood from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. — became the first menorah to ever be added to the White House collection when it was unveiled in 2022.
But visitors to the White House won’t be seeing it this holiday season.
“The menorah that the Bidens added in 2022 is not on the State Floor at the present time, but it remains a part of the White House collection,” Nicholas Clemens, communications director for first lady Melania Trump, told The Hill in a statement.
The White House is celebrating the eight-night Jewish holiday, which began on Sunday, with “multiple” receptions this week, Clemens said. No direct explanation for the menorah’s absence was provided.
There was no sign of the menorah earlier this month as the White House unveiled its annual Yuletide season decor, with the theme “Home is Where the Heart is.” The decorations, the White House said, were aimed at serving as a tribute to the “enduring American spirit of generosity, patriotism and gratitude.”
Before the addition of the Hanukkah lamp three years ago, the White House had relied on loaned menorahs.
The menorah displayed by the Biden White House was created using historic wood that was removed from the White House around 1950 during a President Harris S. Truman-era renovation. Another feature, the sterling silver candle cups, was inspired by tumblers that President Thomas Jefferson ordered for his Virginia home, Monticello, in 1810.
While not required to be displayed, as an item included in the White House collection, the menorah is considered a permanent fixture of the White House archives that can’t be removed by future administrations.
President Donald Trump has undone a number of Biden-era legislative priorities, including canceling clean energy projects funded under his predecessor’s administration, firing Biden appointees, and asserting that executive orders and pardons that the 46th president signed using an autopen would be considered void.
In September, the White House revealed a “Presidential Walk of Fame” featuring portraits of past commanders-in-chief, but depicted Biden using a framed photo of an autopen.
At the National Menorah Lighting on Sunday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick represented the administration.
Brett Samuels contributed.