President Biden said on Monday that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was “uninformed” when he criticized the White House for having the Easter holiday on the same day as Transgender Day of Visibility.
“He’s thoroughly uninformed,” Biden stated during Monday’s Easter Egg Roll, in response to Johnson’s critique.
“Uninformed how?” a reporter inquired.
“I didn’t do that,” Biden replied.
Johnson joined a chorus of conservatives who chastised the White House this weekend for rules prohibiting religious symbols from being used in its Easter egg painting contest, as well as the scheduling of Transgender Day of Visibility.
“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter—which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Johnson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Banning sacred truth and tradition while promoting Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’ is obscene and immoral. “The American people are taking note.”
However, the White House has strongly refuted these criticisms, which officials have described as false.
Biden declared Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility because the day is always observed on March 31. This year, Easter, which can fall on any Sunday between late March and mid-April, coincided with the same day. Transgender Day of Visibility was established 15 years ago to honor transgender individuals and raise awareness about the persecution they suffer.
At the same time, White House officials underlined that the rules prohibiting the inclusion of religious symbols in the egg contest have been in place for many years and have been unchanged during Republican administrations, including President Trump.
“*Fyi on all the misleading swirl re White House and Easter: 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—for all WH Easter Egg Rolls—incl previous Administration’s,” wrote Elizabeth Alexander, the communications director for first lady Jill Biden on X.