Donald Trump has blasted President Joe Biden for proclaiming Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility, even though the day has been celebrated on March 31 every year for over a decade and only lined up with Easter 2024 by chance, RadarOnline.com has learned.
"It is appalling and insulting that Joe Biden's White House ... formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as 'Trans Day of Visibility,'" the Trump campaign wrote in a statement on Saturday.
"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," the former president's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, added.
Transgender Day of Visibility was started in 2009 to celebrate transgender people and their contributions to society and to raise awareness for the discrimination they face; the date of Easter changes every year.
Biden first officially recognized Trans Day of Visibility in 2021 and has issued a presidential proclamation every year since. "On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives," he said in this year's statement.
"Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back," Biden continued. "NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR ... 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."
Several other prominent Republicans including Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican Senate candidate Jim Banks, and Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene have criticized the Biden administration's recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility.
Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., wrote on X: "This is the left's new religion. They want people worshiping the trans flag instead of God. They must be stopped."
House Speaker Mike Johnson tweeted, "The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.Banning sacred truth and tradition — while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as 'Transgender Day' — is outrageous and abhorrent. The American people are taking note."
The Trump campaign's statement also claimed that "Joe Biden's White House prohibited children from submitting religious egg designs for their Easter Art Event ... Sadly, these are just two more examples of the Biden Administration’s years-long assault on the Christian faith."
This year's Easter Egg Roll tradition, which has been held annually at the White House since 1877, will honor military families by including egg designs submitted by children of National Guard troops. According to a flyer circulated by the National Guard and obtained by NBC, the designs "must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes, or partisan political statements."
However, according to representatives of the White House and the American Egg Board, which partners on the White House for Easter event, the rule against overtly religious imagery has long been in place. "The American Egg Board flyer’s standard non-discrimination language requesting artwork has been used for the last 45 years, across all Dem & Republican Admins," said Elizabeth Alexander, a spokesperson for first lady Dr. Jill Biden.
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White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded to all of the controversy in a statement on Saturday.
"As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American," he said.
“Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit."