No, Kamala Harris did not say Americans must stop saying 'Merry Christmas'

Context

A clip shared on social media where Kamala Harris says, "How dare we speak Merry Christmas," is taken out of context and is not evidence that she is against saying "Merry Christmas."

The short clip has been shared across X in various posts. One post reads, "Kamala Harris says that Americans must stop saying "Merry Christmas."

Another post states "Still haunts me to this day when Kamala said 'How dare we speak Merry Christmas.' Any Christian who votes for her should feel ashamed of themselves."

This same post shares a different version of the video in which, after the short clip of Harris, it cuts to Trump saying, "Guess what, we're saying Merry Christmas again," and to footage of him near Christmas decorations.

However, the clip is taken out of context, and Kamala Harris is not against saying "Merry Christmas."

In fact

The full video was republished by Fox News in August 2024 titled "Flashback: Harris told Americans not to say 'Merry Christmas' until DACA was fixed." Fox News attributed the video to being a resurfaced video from Fox News Digital in 2017.

However, the original video could not be found. The full video is 58 seconds long, while the viral clip is only 7 seconds long. 

Alongside their republished video, Fox News reports that Harris made the remarks at a press conference after then-president Trump announced he planned to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). 

NBC also reported in 2017 that Harris gave a speech near the capitol in which she said," How dare we speak Merry Christmas?" The speech was part of a news conference about the Dream Act, at which speakers said the act's refusal contradicts the religious beliefs behind Christmas.

In the full video, Harris says, "And only when we cleared that vet did we give them DACA status. And now we're talking about taking it away. It is morally wrong. And when we all sing happy tunes and sing Merry Christmas and wish each other Merry Christmas. These children are not going to have a Merry Christmas."

"How dare we speak Merry Christmas. How dare we. They will not have a Merry Christmas. They don't know if they will be here in a matter of days, weeks, and months."

In its full context, the video shows Harris reflecting on how children with DACA status won't have a good Christmas. She is not telling Americans to stop saying "Merry Christmas" or taking a stance to oppose Christmas. 

There is no evidence Harris has ever said she wants to stop people from saying "Merry Christmas."

Harris has, however, wished people "Merry Christmas" on social media several times.

 An Instagram post from December 2018 reads, "From our family to yours, wishing you a Merry Christmas filled with hope, happiness, and good cheer."

Another post from December 2021 reads, "Christmas is a holiday of hope. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the joy that he brought to the world—let us remember his message of love and light. On behalf of our family: Merry Christmas!"

The verdict

The clip has been shortened and taken out of context. In the full clip, Harris refers to Trump's plan to end DACA. There's no evidence she wants to stop people from saying "Merry Christmas." Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.

Follow Logically Facts' coverage and fact-checking of the U.S. Election 2024 here.