Donald Trump vows to promote 'merry Christmas' greeting, suggests boycott of Starbucks

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says if he becomes U.S. president, 'we're all going to be saying, merry Christmas again.'Reuters

Republican presidential frontrunner and business magnate Donald Trump is another person who got upset over Starbucks' anti-Christmas plain red cups this year, and he vowed that should he win the 2016 elections, he would be heavily promoting the use of "merry Christmas" as opposed to the generic "happy holidays" greeting.

"Did you read about Starbucks? No more merry Christmas on Starbucks," Trump said on Monday evening during the pre-debate rally in Springfield, Illinois. "Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don't know. Seriously, I don't care."

According to The Christian Post, a lot of religious conservatives were infuriated over the minimalistic Christmas cups of Starbucks. For the past few years, Starbucks' Christmas cups showcased snowflakes as well as Christmas ornaments and scenes.

But now, the coffee company took a different approach in the design, and many viewed it as a movement against Christmas.

Trump seems to think so, and he said, "If I become president, we're all going to be saying, 'merry Christmas' again. That I can tell you."

He added that Starbucks operates a highly successful store in one of his buildings, but noted that "that's the end of that lease, but who cares?"

For its part, a spokesperson from Starbucks' corporate office said in a statement that their approach to Christmas has always been about catering to the diverse community it serves.

"Since 1997, we have served our holiday beverages in a unique red cup, each year and each design telling a different story. Starbucks is inviting our customers to tell their Christmas stories in their own way, with a red cup that mimics a blank canvas," the company said in the statement.

"Over the past few years, our customers have been showcasing their work on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, and we even held a contest to support this creativity. This year's design is another way we are inviting our customers to create their own stories on our cups," it continued.