President Biden said on Monday that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was “uninformed” when he criticized the White House for Easter coinciding with Transgender Day of Visibility.
During Monday’s Easter Egg Roll, Biden stated that Johnson was “thoroughly uninformed” and mentioned that he did not specifically declare Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday.
Johnson, along with other conservatives, criticized the White House over the weekend for not allowing religious symbols in its Easter egg art contest and for scheduling Transgender Day of Visibility at the same time.
Johnson wrote on X that the Biden White House had violated the core principle of Easter by banning religious symbols and observing Transgender Day of Visibility on the same day. He called it outrageous and abhorrent, and stated that the American people are taking notice.
But the White House has resisted strong challenges to both criticisms, which officials have called deceptive.
Biden designated Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility because it consistently falls on March 31. This year, Easter, which can occur any Sunday from late-March to mid-April, happened to fall on the same day. Transgender Day of Visibility was initially established 15 years ago to honor transgender individuals and raise awareness about the discrimination they encounter.
At the same time, White House officials clarified that the rules prohibiting religious symbols in the egg contest have been in place for a long time and have remained the same during Republican administrations, including the Trump presidency.
“*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,” Elizabeth Alexander, the communications director for first lady Jill Biden, wrote on X.
