President Joe Biden said on Monday that he did not declare this Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility.
Biden’s claim comes after he has faced outrage from Christians for issuing a proclamation about it and posting about it on social media on Easter Sunday.
“Today, on Transgender Day of Visibility, I have a simple message to all trans Americans: I see you,” Biden wrote on X. “You are made in the image of God, and you’re worthy of respect and dignity.”
Today, on Transgender Day of Visibility, I have a simple message to all trans Americans:
I see you.
You are made in the image of God, and you're worthy of respect and dignity. pic.twitter.com/ihvsJrXEyd
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 31, 2024
A reporter asked Biden about the matter during the White House Easter Egg Roll.
“Mr. President, what does Easter mean to you, sir?” the reporter asked. “Sir, what does Easter mean to you?”
Biden, who claims to be a “devout Catholic,” responded: “Time for forgiveness and people getting together and a little bit of love and no phoniness. Be straight with people.”
The reporter responded by highlighting criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) about Biden proclaiming that Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility.
“And Mr. Speaker Johnson the other day said, sir, Speaker Johnson said you betrayed the tenet of Easter by proclaiming Sunday, Easter Sunday, as Transgender Day. He called it outrageous and abhorrent,” the reporter said. “What do you say to Speaker Johnson?”
“He’s thoroughly uninformed,” Biden claimed. “I didn’t do that.”
WATCH:
BIDEN: “He’s thoroughly uninformed.”
During the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House, EWTN’s @owentjensen asked the President about Speaker Johnson calling out the White House for proclaiming Transgender Day on Easter Sunday.
Video by Sara Canals, DC Correspondent for… pic.twitter.com/SGE0qMZrZk
— EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) April 1, 2024
Amid the ensuing backlash, the White House issued a statement suggesting Biden meant that he hadn’t been the one who established the Transgender Day of Visibility or specifically chosen March 31st for its recognition this year.
“President Biden is right. He did nothing in conflict with the ‘tenets of Easter,’ which he celebrated yesterday, nor did he choose the date of March 31st for the Transgender Day of Visibility, which has been set sine 2009,” White House Spokesman Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital in a statement.