Easter in this country has always been a traditional religious holiday regardless of the person residing in the White House at the time.
That changed this year with a declaration from Joe Biden celebrating the Trans Day of Visibility, which just happened to fall on Easter Sunday this year.
Talking Points…
- Joe Biden Easter declaration
- Reaction to White House statement
- Analysis
We have never had an issue during the Easter holiday, regardless of who was in the White House. It was always celebrated as a Christian holiday, with religious themes and Easter egg hunts for the little ones. Joe Biden threw a bit of a wrench into that history with a special declaration on Easter. Biden celebrated March 31, 2024, for something other than Easter, recognizing the “Transgender Day of Visibility.” On Good Friday, Biden posted his intent for the dual celebration meaning of Easter Sunday. In part, Biden wrote:
“NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.
“I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity.” (To read his full order on the White House website, click here.)
Karine Jean-Pierre then doubled down on the order on Saturday evening, posting:
“On Transgender Day of Visibility, the Biden-Harris Administration honors the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirms our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect union where all people are treated equally.”
I checked social media over the weekend, and people on both sides of the aisle were steaming over this post and declaration, more so for the timing of it than anything else. The Democrat Party has decided to make this issue almost as prevalent as abortion for the election, but as I noted before, this could also cost Biden support from the left side of the aisle. The pushback of this “holiday” was led by the Trump campaign, with Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s press secretary, stating:
“We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe tomorrow is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called the posts by the White House “outrageous and abhorrent.” On social media, there were calls of blasphemy by many famous conservative personalities. This all led to White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stating:
“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American.
“President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”
To be clear, this was not an event that Biden had created on his own, as Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO, was quick to point out after all the posts expressing outrages were made. But that was not the real issue for most people here. What was the issue was that Biden seemed to go out of his way to recognize this day rather than the meaning of Easter with his formal declaration.
While Biden first mentioned this day in 2021, the actual event has been taking place since 2009, created by activist Rachel Crandall Crocker. However, until Joe Biden recognized the “holiday” in 2021, it had not been officially recognized by the White House as an actual event. While Biden has openly supported the trans community, his support only goes so far. To that exact point, It was recently announced that Biden would likely delay the Title IX rule for trans athletes until after the presidential election so that it does not cost him votes in the presidential election. That proves my point that this issue is not popular on either side of the aisle, making it all the more baffling why Biden is digging in so hard.
