President Biden and first lady Jill Biden shared a video message on Easter Sunday wishing Americans a happy holiday while also encouraging them to get vaccinated amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Jill and I want to send you our warmest Easter greetings to you and your family. As we celebrate this most holy day, we know many are still going without familiar comforts of the season,” the president, who is the second Catholic to hold the office, said in the video.
“The virus is not gone, and so many of us feel the longing and loneliness of distance. For a second year, most will be apart from their families, their friends, full congregations that fill us with joy,” he continued.
“Yet as the Gospel of John reminds us, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” he added.
The first lady, who stood alongside her husband in the short clip, also shared wishes for the holiday and expressed hope for the nation’s economic recovery amid the pandemic.
“Today, as spring returns, we see hope all around us. Families are getting the financial help they need to take a breath once again,” she said. “Businesses are recovering and more and more Americans are getting life-saving vaccines.”
“By getting vaccinated and encouraging your congregations and your communities to get vaccinated, we not only can beat this virus, we can also haste the day when we can celebrate the holidays together again,” the president added.
The holiday marks their first Easter in the White House as the nation’s first couple.
Their message marked a stark contrast from a politically charged statement from former President Trump.
“Happy Easter to ALL, including the Radical Left CRAZIES who rigged our Presidential Election, and want to destroy our Country!” Trump said earlier Sunday.
He later shared another message later in the day: “Happy Easter!”
Trump has continued to spread unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the presidential election last November following his defeat to Biden.